Any Means Necessary: Rising
by EiriFllyn
Summary: The power to travel the planes, a quest for unlimited power. He started as a normal human, using cunning and metaknowledge to survive in the first plane he was trapped in. Now he's no longer powerless or trapped! The tutorial is over and the path to true power is open. Sequel to Any Means Necessary. OC SI. Villainous and manipulative. Multiverse Traveling.
1. 1 - Enter the Void

**Announcement: **There is a Discord server now in which you can join to discuss upcoming content, share ideas on what the MC should do, and offer your opinion on specific questions/topics I am interested in, or just talk about whatever you want.

**The invite link is: ZyxZPRm**.

* * *

**1 – Enter the Void**

**[Kaleidus]**

The first inkling that something was wrong with this trip was when I felt a _pull_ just as I passed through the plane's threshold.

There was always a pull of course, from every plane's Creation Mystery. I never felt it the first time only because my mind couldn't comprehend what was happening, but after bonding more deeply with Agate, my trusty Kaleidostick—a sapient wand—I began to glimpse bits and pieces of the tunnel through the Kaleidoscape—also known as the Blind Eternities, the unreality between planes—and the infinitesimal moment before arrival.

But this time was markedly different, because the pull wasn't the all-encompassing embrace of the Creation Mystery like submerging into an ocean from a vacuum, but of hitting something intangible, then falling into hungry vortex, my mind spinning with it, and the Amphibious All-Purpose Vehicle I was in decidedly _not_ coming along with me. One might wonder how I phased through the interior of the AAPV, but you only had to realize that this was the edge of reality where existence was not well defined.

The second hint of a problem was the sensation of being caught in an explosion.

There had been no time to erect defenses, no time to even see what was attacking me.

The explosion was strong enough to send me flying—or maybe I was already airborne upon entry to the physical world—but not enough to do any noticeable damage to even the first layer of my composite armour.

I knew this without checking because my armour was alive. A symbiont of sorts. If it were damaged, I'd know.

Smoke was obscuring visibility, and I toggled through a few different basic vision modes. Before I hit the ground, I identified a large number of people-sized thermal contacts.

I was surrounded, and my AAPV had disappeared to who knows where, taking the resources and equipment on board with it.

Agate reacted immediately and phased into the sublayer of reality that only she could access, the part that shielded the material layer from the Primordial Chaos energies of the Kaleidoscape.

She flew into the air at high speeds, and acted as my familiar, granting me her senses while being invisible to all.

In truth, while I had Agate, my own vision modes were redundant as her suite of sensory magecraft was much more impressive.

What I saw around me was a large group of people wearing black cloaks, each one carrying a wand of their own. They were in uniform, except the one middle-aged man with a wooden staff. Grassy plains stretched for kilometers, with a single stone castle to act as a landmark.

Perhaps calling it a castle was a bit of a misnomer. Five towers arranged in a pentagon shape, with a stone wall connected them, and a central tower longer than all the ones at the corners.

'_There's lots of mana in this world!_' Agate informed me telepathically through our bond. '_Can you feel it?_'

'_I can. So this is what a plane with ambient mana feels like,' _I thought back.

The air felt thick. Like a strange, barely noticeable pressure on my mind. Through Agate, my mana sense further expanded, and become more refined.

Mana was everywhere. In the air, the ground, the grass, and even the people. It flowed this way and that, without an appreciable pattern I could discern, softly and ceaselessly.

The sense for magical energy was a little different for every magus based on the Nasuverse mechanics, and I qualified as one of them with my single artificial circuit—though if I ever went there the local magi would probably vehemently reject my claim to that title.

Usually the magical sense was attached to one of the five main senses, but in my case it seemed to be an entirely sixth sense.

'_It's probably because you got used to sharing senses with me, and my own prana sense even before you created your artificial circuit,_' said Agate.

'_That's probably it. Is there a way we can sense how much magical power these mages have?_'

I noticed that despite obviously being mages, their bodies didn't have a higher concentration of mana.

'_Hm, not yet. They don't even seem to have circuits._'

'_Have to be extra careful then.'_

There was also another individual besides me that stuck out like a sore thumb among the uniformed and cloaked mages. He was lying on the ground, wearing casual clothes and looked like a Japanese teenager.

I heard voices and whispers amid much coughing.

"…another explosion…"

"…as expected of Louise the Zero…"

The Zero? A school of mages? This scene was starting to sound a bit familiar, pun intended. Yet another universe I would have considered fictional before I got Agate.

It seemed as though I had discovered the culprit that dragged me away from my AAPV and wherever I was originally going to land.

Louise the Zero, a budding mage with the power of the legendary Void element which caused her to fail at any other magic—though that truth was yet unknown to her—had just summoned someone from another world to be her familiar. Considering that the spell was able to reach across worlds—maybe even planes—it might have somehow also grabbed onto me while I was crossing in.

Or perhaps my own spell went through the path of least resistance when a gateway had already been opened by something else.

An interesting development, and something to investigate later.

But for now, I had to deal with the situation at hand.

Already, I was wary of this being different than the story I remembered. Weren't there supposed to be a lot more magical beast familiars here, summoned by the other students? Yet I didn't see any.

I drew myself up to a standing position and prepared to make my opening moves.

First I checked my inventory system with my augmented reality lens interface. It would have been really great if it worked, but as I expected, the inventory system simply returned an error. The physics of this world were not compatible.

So all I had was the stuff on my person and my extremely limited magecraft which would qualify me as less than third-rate trash by the standards of Agate's home plane.

If it came to a fight, I might have the physical advantage, being several times stronger than a regular human, and having decent martial arts skills. My armour was also quite durable, able to stand against conventional small arms fire short of armour-piercing anti-tank rounds.

That was all theoretical, of course, because either way, regardless of how my combat strength matched up with them, the greatest victory is to subdue the enemy without fighting. And certainly if I were to fight, it would be a commitment to specific objectives and not some foolish endeavour to test my strength against near total unknowns.

As the smoke cleared, my living armour's spikes and jagged edges retracted, then shifted color schemes to be less threatening and malevolent. I used brighter colours, especially gold, silver, and blue to project nobility in line with what I expected of this culture's sensibilities.

Of course, the only true marker of nobility here was magic, but I didn't have enough cards to play to carelessly show my hand just yet. At least Reinforcement worked at all, boosting my body and armour's attributes. It would be most irritating if my spells also stopped working because of magic system incompatibility. But luckily my spells were both extremely basic and previously tested to work on a world that didn't even have magic at all.

"…ugh …" The Japanese boy sat up with a groan and held a hand to his temples. He spoke in Japanese but it was no trouble for me to understand, as I had mastered a lot of Earth languages.

The two of us were surrounded in a circle, with a short girl making her way to us. Her hair was strawberry blonde.

No, really, it was actually a reddish blonde, not the pink one might expect based on the illustrations.

She looked between the two of us as if confused, examining us in detail. Her eyes lingered on me noticeably longer.

I ignored her and pretended to look around, stopping momentarily to face the middle-aged man who was probably their teacher, the stone castle in the distance, the Japanese boy, before ending with a stare towards the barely visible two moons in the daylight sky, as if that was the only thing worth my attention, yet using Agate to observe where my eyes did not.

"Who are you?" She asked intently. Her question was evidently directed at me, but her eyes flitted to the boy as well.

"…who am I…? I'm Hiraga Saito," the boy who was supposed to be the main character said.

I should mention that the students were all speaking in French, yet Saito somehow understood. And it looked like the people here understood Saito's Japanese as well. Was there a translation spell active?

"What a strange name," someone in the crowd said.

"Louise, what were you thinking, calling a commoner with Summon Servant?" Another voice asked. Then everyone started laughing.

"I…I just made a little mistake! He must have come along by accident!" She shouted. Then she ignored Saito and ran up to my armoured form. "Hey, you're the one I was supposed to summon, right?"

No, I wasn't, and I was not particularly inclined to let her make me her familiar, what with the potential mind control effect that came with it. For all I knew, the spell might not even work on me because I wasn't the original target.

I just needed to leverage this situation to get access to some things I wanted from the school. Acquiring information was the top priority.

Thus, I continued to show no noticeable reaction to her question, pretending to be fascinated by the moons. This was to establish our respective positions of power and to align with the story I would be sticking to: that Louise had summoned me completely of her own power rather than my having attempted to cross into this world on my own first.

The crowd's laugher quieted down to whispers as they watched.

"…is that a person?"

"…I've never seen armour like that…"

Louise's face looked frustrated. "Don't ignore me!"

The middle-aged man, who was probably their professor Colbert, walked closer with his staff in front, directed at me, and muttered something. Colbert was supposed to be a Square-class mage in a world where mage power levels corresponded to the number of vertices in the geometric shape of their ranks, ranging from dot, to line, to triangle, and to square at the top. In other words, he was an elite and very dangerous.

He was clearly casting a spell, but was he supposed to do anything like that with Saito? Or was this a grimdark alternate universe where this man would immediately try to force me to complete the familiar bonding with Louise?

If so, I would not go quietly into the night.

My hand moved like lightning to my utility belt and drew a gun, firing a warning shot.

The faces of everyone present turned to shock as they witnessed a solid beam of red light zip past above the man's right shoulder.

"If you target me with another spell, I shall not miss next time," I said in perfect French.

"My apologies, sir. I meant no harm. It was just a simple Detect Magic," said the man as he made an apologetic face without any sign of feeling threatened by the warning shot. "Your armour reveals little, and not knowing whether you were human underneath, I worried for the safety of my students."

I nodded to the man and put away the gun. He could be lying, but I should play along for now. "Your apology is accepted, monsieur. You are satisfied with your findings, then?"

He nodded. "Indeed. It's fascinating, really. I've never seen anything enchanted in such a manner before. Though I could not begin to guess at what your armour can do, the sheer complexity of the enchantment is marvelous. Almost as if there are _thousands_ of tiny enchantments on that armour forming a larger whole, or perhaps, thousands of individually enchanted components making up the armour."

His description was interesting, but I had no idea what he meant, so I couldn't explain it even if he asked me straight instead of trying lead me into giving an answer. I could only assume it had something to do with how Reinforcement was perceived by his Detect Magic spell.

But more importantly, it seemed as though everything was lining up with what little I knew about the this story.

My enhanced brain, further helped by borrowing some of Agate's processing power, reviewed the situation and raced through the possibilities.

_Finally,_ I'd found a world I could exploit at a comfortable danger level, without being exposed to beings of ridiculous power that could crush me like a bug at any time.

As a short recap, it had all started while I was minding my own business and waking up in a forest after escaping from some assassins, as a perfectly normal successful businessman on modern Earth, when two fictional characters appeared from nowhere and engaged in an epic battle and me nearly becoming collateral damage. I barely escaped thanks to one of them taking pity on me, gaining Agate in the process, which allowed me to travel the planes.

One random travel later and I landed in Worm—a world of superpowered heroes and villains colloquially called "capes", a place where everyone suffered, where there were mass murderers and mass brainwashing threats around every corner, where cities got destroyed every few months by invincible monsters, with a godlike alien that would obliterate everything within a couple of years.

Did I mention I had been _trapped _by that alien god, unable to shift planes?

Still, though I was practically a bog-standard human with no special powers when I first showed up there, survived and even _thrived_. I had built a major power base—an organization, armies and fortresses—back there that might have tempted any other second rate hero or villain wannabe to stay forever, ensconced in their glass castle.

Then I escaped with some minor personal upgrades and equipment before my bad luck could catch up to me.

Why?

Because no matter how high you climb, there's always a bigger mountain, and somebody stronger to destroy your delusions of greatness.

I had already experienced once what it was like to have everything I had worked for crumble in an instant, when those assassins very nearly succeeded in killing me. I probably wouldn't have lasted for much longer if it weren't for Zelretch randomly appearing, and that meeting merely showed me how utterly insignificant I was in the face of greater beings.

I could not afford to stand still and wait for the truly big bads to pay attention to me, especially when preciously little of the power I'd amassed in Worm was personal in nature, and so much was dependent on the loyalty of my powerful subordinates.

I had my eyes set on greater things, even if it meant becoming a small fry in a big world yet again. And leaving before the next scheduled apocalyptic monster attack was the cherry on top.

The next world after had been another horrifying deathworld, and I left that one immediately, to arrive on a world that seemed unremarkable in the short time I explored it. Possibly good for dominating and to serve as a safe retreat, but I set off again looking for something more useful to my ambitions of true interplanar power.

Then I found myself here. A nice magical setting where I might be able to expand my almost non-existent spell repertoire, in a medieval level of civilization where law and order were weak.

A place where I was not hopelessly outmatched and threatened by beings of godlike power.

Or so I hoped.

There was no guarantee that it would be anything like the novel or show, and my knowledge of either canon was pretty spotty to begin with. I only knew the general outline of the plot for a couple of arcs, only a few events in later arcs, and not many details on any of it.

'_But no matter what, this time at least we aren't trapped!_' Agate thought to me.

And she was right, being able to just leave whenever was a powerful safety net, unless I got killed in the ten seconds it took to cast the travel spell.

Could any of these people here threaten me to that extent? Perhaps Colbert could, but he should be among the top tier mages in the whole country, and he didn't seem to have any good defense against my sheer speed and laser beam—unless he was so far above me he thought I was no threat at all and not worth preparing a defense, or he had read my intention not to actually harm him with that move.

The whispers started again.

"…what was that light?"

"…Louise summoned a _noble_…"

Louise's expression seemed to waver between delight and queasiness. Probably happy that she summoned a potentially powerful familiar, yet concerned that she had broken some law by summoning a noble.

Instead of continuing on the topic of my magic in response to Colbert's observations on my magic, I said "Good. Then please also forgive me for assuming the worst. Your magic is unfamiliar to me, and I have learned to be cautious in my travels, particularly when summoned against my will and surrounded by a large group of unknown mages."

"Ah…your caution is understandable. No harm done," he said, chuckling. "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Jean Colbert, a professor at the Tristain Academy of Magic. And these would be my students." He gestured around to the teenagers standing around. "We are the most well-respected Crown-chartered and sponsored magic school for the children of nobles in this beautiful kingdom, so I assure you we hold no ill intentions."

"I am known by many names and titles," I said solemnly, before listing off a bunch of nonsense they couldn't possibly verify to make myself sound suitably impressive and of a sufficiently high social status to entreat with other nobles as equals.

"The Polychromic Knight, Hero of the CRUCIBLE, Saviour of Brockton Bay, the Chromatic Calamity, the Infinity Magician, the Conqueror of Terminus, the Void Traveler…"

At that, Colbert's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"…and many more, but I doubt these mean anything to you, given how far away this land appears to be, so you may call me Axion."

That wasn't my real name, of course. There was power in names and that could be used against me.

"H-hey, what's going on here? Where are we?" Saito said as he got up.

"Shut up, commoner! Don't interrupt a conversation between nobles," Louise said.

"Girl, if you've summoned him here, he has a right to know why, does he not?" I asked in a tone that promised retribution if I heard the wrong answer, as the beginnings of a plot revealed itself in my mind.

"Speaking of which, why _have _you summoned us? And who are you?"

The girl had an admirably cool and collected response.

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. And I have summoned you to be my familiar as part of the sacred rite, the Springtime Familiar Summoning."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Agate]**

_**Initializing Strategic Intelligence Services …**_

_**Retrieving Data…**_

_**WARNING: Current intelligence is largely unverified by direct observation evidence. The following profiles are based on fictional depictions from Earth. Reality may be radically different. Caution is strongly advised.**_

_Gandalfr Runes: One of four possible sets of Void Familiar runes. Grants the ability to use any kind of non-magical weaponry, plus significant physical attribute boosts when holding a weapon. Might also have a mental compulsion/memory erasure effect of unknown strength to ensure loyalty or cause the Familiar to fall in love with the Master and vice-versa. Would originally have gone to Saito Hiraga, a previously unremarkable teenager from a modern Earth, and allowed him to perform such feats as fighting off an army of 80,000 alone. It is unknown whether physical boosts granted by the Gandalfr runes would stack with other spells and upgrades._

_Void power: A power described in legend as wielded by the messianic figure Founder Brimir, who supposedly created the magic system the humans use. There can be up to four Void mages at a given time, each of whom can summon a Void Familiar branded with unique runes that grant incredible power, far beyond normal Familiar runes. The Void magic itself is associated with non-elemental spells and all Void mages boast incredible magic power, but their spells also have extremely long cast times, a weakness for which their Void Familiars are intended to protect them._

_Louise Vallière: A vessel of the Void power, which causes her great difficulty casting magic of the traditional four elements, with all of her attempts at spellcasting resulting in explosions. This has earned her the moniker "the Zero" among her classmates, and is a source of much consternation. She is desperate to be a proper mage, a feeling compounded by the teachings and expectations of her family and station. Her father holds the title of Duke, while her mother is Karin the "Heavy Wind", a Square-class mage famous throughout the Kingdom of Tristain. Her bloodline is related to the royal family, which is why she could inherit the Void power. She is also a personal childhood friend and confidant to the crown princess._

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A/N: This is a sequel to the story Any Means Necessary. Additionally, there is a quest version of the story on Sufficient Velocity forum for anyone that wants to participate in an interactive way. I highly encourage you to try it if you have an account there, or just make one.


	2. 2 - Answering the Summons

**2 – Answering the Summons**

**[Interlude]**

Louise glanced nervously at the hulking armour that towered over her. After so many failures, she had finally summoned a familiar—two of them!—and this one both looked and sounded powerful.

'A renowned hero and knight!' She thought. 'He must be truly powerful to be known by so many titles! If he could be my familiar…'

She eyed the strange weapon he wielded. It looked a bit like a smaller version of a rifle, but it fired what looked to be a spell instead. Was it his focus, she wondered. Some mages used unconventional foci such as wandswords and such, but she'd never heard of a gunwand. Although she wasn't sure if she was breaking any laws by summoning a noble, if she could get a familiar like this, nobody could call her a failure again.

Her throat was tight but she swallowed and composed herself before answering in as refined a voice as she could.

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. And I have summoned you to be my familiar as part of the sacred rite, the Springtime Familiar Summoning," she clearly enunciated.

"I see. And what would being a familiar entail?" The man who called himself Axion asked. It was a man's voice, a sound that was naturally soothing and harmonious.

"You don't know? Aren't you a noble?" She asked in confusion. It was among the most basic knowledge for any mage.

"I am aware of what it means in other lands. I do not wish to make assumptions regarding this land's magic and customs, especially when you say it is a sacred rite to your people. It is best if you explained so there are no misunderstandings."

That only confused her more. Was the man saying that the Springtime Familiar Summoning handed down by the Founder Brimir was _not_ a sacred rite where he came from? That would be heretical!

Just then, professor Colbert interrupted. "Perhaps I can explain, Sir Axion. Here in Tristain, every aspiring young mage is expected to perform the Springtime Familiar Summoning at some point when they feel ready. In the Tristain Academy of Magic, our students are required to do this ritual in the beginning of their second year, because the familiar summoned determines the student's elemental specialty, and therefore enables the student to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. As for what being a familiar entails, a familiar's most important role is to protect its master. It also helps the master with tasks like retrieving items, and lets the master see and hear through its eyes and ears. Although, familiars that are summoned have always been magical beasts in the past, not humans, and it should certainly only be one, not two. This is a very unusual case."

"Is that so? If all students are required to complete the ritual, why do I see no other familiars around?" Axion asked in a suspicious tone.

"That would be because the rest of the students have already completed their rituals, and their familiars are resting in the Familiar Garden. Louise has had to make a few more attempts at the spell than others, and her spells often have some unfortunate, ah, side effects, so we thought it best not to have the new familiars present as they still remain much of their bestial instinct just after the bonding," said Colbert.

Louise's cheeks burned in shame when the sniggers from the other students started.

"I see. Well, miss Vallière, you have incredible potential to have summoned me. However, based on professor Colbert's description, I must respectfully decline the position. Unfortunately, I have other commitments that would interfere with any duties as your familiar."

The words were like a physical blow to Louise, whose face looked like the picture of despair. She barely heard the words from Sir Axion after that. Her eyes glanced back to Saito, who had been watching silently with a dumb expression as if he still didn't believe what was happening. She watched as the commoner pinched himself a few times to no avail and was muttering quietly to nobody.

Louise needed a familiar to retain her status as a student, but how could she accept having a commoner for a familiar? Even if she couldn't get a powerful and beautiful familiar like a dragon or Sir Axion, her familiar had to be strong enough to protect her at least, not some commoner boy whose head might be less than fully there.

"Mr. Colbert, please let me try summoning one more time!"

"I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière. It is strictly forbidden. It is not possible to change the familiar once you have summoned it. The Springtime Familiar Summoning rules, as a sacred rite, take precedence over every other rule. However, you seem to have summoned two familiars where you can only have one, so if Sir Axion has declined, then you may take Mr. Saito instead."

"M-me?" Saito pointed to himself. "Hold on, I still don't understand what's going on here. Are you guys shooting a movie or something? But where are the cameras?"

"You have got to be joking…a commoner for a familiar?" Louise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Well then, you should continue with the ceremony," said Colbert.

Louise looked at Saito again. The boy suddenly tensed and looked ready to run. Then he glanced around at the crowd and seemed to realize he was surrounded. His expression looked like something close to panic.

"What are you talking about? What ceremony? I-I haven't agreed to anything!" Saito said with wide eyes.

"With _him_?" Louise complained. Even putting aside the commoner's ability to protect her, finishing the ceremony meant she had to kiss him!

'To think a proud scion of the Vallière family would have to give away her first kiss to a commoner…' she thought glumly.

"Yes, with him. Hurry. The next class will begin any minute. How much more time is this summoning going to take? After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him. Hurry and form a contract," Colbert urged. The students voiced their agreement and the jeers started.

Louise groaned and prepared to step towards Saito.

Then she froze when a hand came upon her shoulder with an iron grip. A current of something seem to spread through her body, making her shudder.

"Excuse me, aren't you going to unsummon me, now that I've declined?" Axion said.

"Un—unsummon?" Louise stammered. She felt immensely relieved when professor Colbert interrupted.

"Oh…that might be difficult, sir Axion." Colbert eyed the man's grip on his student warily and shifted his staff.

"What's the problem?" The man released his grip on Louise, but Colbert did not relax.

"The spell doesn't have a way to return familiars to where they came. Nor are there any other spells that can do this. There has never been a case of a human summoning in history, so there was never any need to return the familiar. I'm afraid the only way for you to return is regular travel," said Colbert.

The ground beneath the foreign mage cracked suddenly without warning, setting off all sorts of alarms in Colbert's head. As an elite Square-class combat mage, he recognized the little signs that indicated a powerful opponent. Few were the mages whose very presence and raw emotion was enough for their magic to affect the environment around them—why, he himself was one of them—and if this man was of that sort, then he would have to be very careful.

Louise stumbled back when Axion rounded on her.

"That's rather inconvenient, considering just how far you've transported me with your summoning. Where I come from, there is only one moon in the sky." Axion's voice was deep and tightly controlled, but everyone present understood that he was not pleased.

There was a long moment of silence as the words sank in. Louise's eyes widened as if in realization, then dread.

"I…I…" Her mouth moved but she could not form words as the heavily armoured knight loomed over her ominously.

A pitch black wand materialized from nowhere in Axion's hand. Most of the students present did not take particular note of this minor action, but a couple of discerning individuals did not miss its significance.

'What manner of magic was that!' Colbert thought with a mixture of wonder and fear. Earlier the man had shown Royal Knight level reflexes and agility when he had drawn and fired that strange weapon, but this was something else entirely—certainly not speed or sleight of hand.

Then Axion turned and levitated into the air as his armour started glowing with a menacing red tint, the tip of his black wand releasing a small trail of rainbow coloured light.

'He's prepared to do simultaneous casting during the Levitation spell for airborne combat? That's at least Triangle-class skill!' Colbert thought as his veteran instincts kicked in. 'I've got to get the students away from this.'

"And I'm to find my way back through _regular_ travel? To what might well be another _world_ altogether?"

"Oh dear," said Colbert. "Let's not be hasty. I'm sure we can find appropriate compensation for your inconvenience, Sir Axion. Let us discuss this calmly." He positioned his staff in front of himself protectively and flew quickly, circling around to Axion's front, positioning himself between his student and the enraged knight. "Students, please return to the school and go on to your next classes! Except Louise, you stay here so we can discuss things with Sir Axion."

The rest of the students levitated away immediately.

"Shit! Shit! What the fuck?" Saito stared at the sky and looked around at the levitating mages with horror. "I'm dreaming, I have to be dreaming!"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Kaleidus]**

I slowly dropped back down the ground after the short standoff, and had Agate phase back out.

What I needed was their respect as a powerful mage, not their enmity, so that I had leverage to negotiate a deal with them. Unfortunately my magic wasn't very impressive, so I had to resort to trickery.

After cracking a small bit of the ground beneath me with improper Reinforcement, using Agate's light tricks, and materializing Agate from nowhere, I hoped that Colbert would be suitably wary of my apparent magical power.

Flying was the one spell I was willing to directly reveal, as Levitation in this setting was something any random mage could do. I also had Agate phase in to keep my ability to cast without a focus hidden. In this setting, if I remembered correctly, only Firstborn magic could be cast without a focus, and using anything that seemed like Firstborn magic would freak people out and cause them to assume I was one of the 'evil' elves, their religious enemies.

Additionally, I did not want Louise to complete the ritual with Saito just yet. I wanted it to be done in a controlled and private setting, with some opportunity to experiment and analyze it.

That Structural Grasp spell I performed on her body when I touched her did not reveal anything particularly useful. So far all I'd determined about the locals' magic was that their internal Willpower mixed with the surrounding environmental mana to create spells, but the mixed energy for only noticeable for an instant upon casting. I couldn't yet perceive where the 'Willpower' was coming from before the spell activated.

Plus, while she had a hope of persuading me to be her familiar, I could use that to extract some resources and support from her in negotiating with the school—assuming the staff cared about their students' future, and they should, given Louise's family held a Dukedom.

The fact was, if Louise already had a familiar, I would just be an irrelevant outsider. I was not naïve enough to think that these people would take pity on my circumstances regardless of how much fault they believed they had, and my lack of a true noble title they could recognize in any nearby country meant that they had nothing to fear from ignoring me except my own retaliation. The idea of _compensation_ was probably just lip service unless they had something to gain from helping me.

By the time Colbert had come down from the air, only Louise and Saito were left standing near us.

"It seems that it is my turn to apologize. I was out of line. I understand this is an unusual situation for you, and you were not aware of the true nature of this summoning ritual," I said.

"Why can't I wake up?!" Saito shouted. He slapped himself several times then fell to his knees, looking despondent. "I want to wake up from this dream. I'm going to wake up and go on the computer. Tonight's dinner is hamburger steak. My mom said so this morning."

"It must be very stressful, indeed, to be taken suddenly from wherever you were, from friends and family, from your home," said Colbert with a sigh, glancing at Saito.

Then I turned to Louise. "As you are not skilled enough to send me back yet, I will reconsider the matter of contracting with you."

"R-really?!" Louise shouted with joyous disbelief. "You'll be my familiar then?"

"I said I would _reconsider_ the matter. There are some things I need to educate you on, seeing as your school doesn't understand the magic you wield and the significance of summoning a human familiar, let alone _me_. You must prove yourself worthy of my support."

"O-of course, what do I need to do?!"

"Sir Axion…if I understand you correctly, you are saying that you know why Louise summoned human familiars?" Colbert asked.

"That is exactly what I am saying."

He stared at me expectantly as if waiting for me to explain.

"I must be clear, professor, I will not simply hand out valuable secrets of magic for free. I will inform Louise because she is the one who summoned me. Whether or not she chooses to inform you is her own decision."

"But Sir Axion, Louise is a student here, and we are responsible for guiding her in magic. Moreover, if you don't tell us anything, how could we possibly assist in returning you to your home?"

"Professor Colbert, I have seen enough to understand that your school is simply not qualified to teach a mage such as Louise. Whatever your skill at teaching, it is evident that your school does not have the requisite knowledge to understand or bring out Louise's true potential, because it's different from whatever system of magic you normally teach. The fact that she has been ostracized as 'the Zero' for being a failure at magic despite her magical potential is proof of this," I said.

"My true potential…?" Louise whispered to herself.

"As for assistance in returning to where I was summoned from, we will need to discuss in detail what exactly you can offer."

"Very well. I do not have the authority to offer you anything, so we must bring this to the attention of Headmaster Osmond. Please follow me," said Colbert.


	3. 3 - Tristain Academy of Magic

**3 – Tristain Academy of Magic**

"Mr. Saito, we are going to the Headmaster's office now," said Colbert again, after seeing that Saito wasn't moving.

"Get up already!" Louise tried to drag him up.

Saito struggled and push her away. "I'm not going anywhere with you kidnappers!"

"What did you say?!"

Colbert waved his wand and Saito floated up in the air.

"Ah! Stop! Put me down!" Saito grasped with his hands as if trying to swim to no avail.

"Saito, you don't have much of a choice but to follow along for now," I said. "There is no way back to either of our homes at the moment. So if you want to return to see your mother, you need to survive until you can find a way. Or would you rather stay out here to starve?"

"No…why…why did this happen to me?" He stopped struggling, but his expression turned angry.

"Asking why is meaningless. Perhaps you were chosen by a mysterious power, or perhaps you were just unlucky. The important thing is to ask how you're going to get through this," I said.

He turned a glare to me and muttered under his breath. "Easy for _you_ to say…"

"Fine! I'll go with you. Now let me down already," he said to Colbert.

Once Colbert ended the spell, Saito tried to slink to the back of our procession.

As we walked to the school, Agate went ahead to scout out the towers and general structure of the rooms while phased out in Agatespace, that layer of reality protecting the material world from Primordial Chaos. When she was phased out, she was intangible but could still use a variety of sensory magic to see and hear her surroundings.

Each of the connected towers had classes going on and student dormitories, except the one central tower. The towers at the vertices corresponded to one of the five elements, but the one corresponding to Void was empty, simply gathering dust, and it didn't have a walled passage to the central tower either.

Powerful enchantments protected the walls, though it was impossible to determine what they did. To our magical senses, it merely seemed to be layers of concentrated mana with an indiscernible structure and pattern.

The walls of the school were built like castle walls, and inside were more student dormitories and a hallway going through the entire length.

However, my interest for now wasn't in these towers, so Agate quickly sped around to the main tower. While I could have had her listen in on some lessons, the lessons themselves were of limited use to me. If a normal mage took a year or more to learn magical foundation, how much could I really learn in a few minutes or an hour of instructional time?

"Sir Axion, do you really think I have potential as a mage?!" Louise finally asked, unable to stand the long silence of our walk.

"Tell me, is it typical for your spells to result in explosions, regardless of which of the four standard elements you attempt to use?" I asked

"How did you know? No matter what I try, it's always a failure…"

"Then, what happens when you cast the Explosion spell?"

"Hah? Explosion spell? What kind of useless spell is that?"

Colbert was listening in curiously, and even Saito seemed to be interested.

"The type of spell you'd use to destroy things," I said.

"I've never heard of a spell like that…"

"And yet you can cast it by instinct. Can any of your peers create explosions? Could professor Colbert cast something of a similar nature?"

The professor hummed contemplatively. "Well, in all honesty, I couldn't. There are some fire spells that have an explosive effect, but they're not quite the same."

"So you can cast something even professor Colbert can't."

"But…why would I want a spell like that?!"

"There are plenty of reasons to want to destroy things. If you were fighting in a war, wouldn't it be quite useful to destroy enemy fortifications or valuable assets? If your explosions were strong enough, you could kill groups of enemy troops in a single strike. That is the purpose of the Explosion spell," I said.

"That's…horrible…! A spell that can only destroy…" Louise mumbled.

"Professor Colbert, you look like someone who's had experience in combat. Don't you agree with my assessment? It is useful to have a spell that can destroy things."

"Ah…what gave me away? I was a soldier at one time, yes," the bald and kindly looking professor said.

Louise gasped. "You were a soldier, professor Colbert?!"

"You have excellent reflexes and composure. So, can you think of where an Explosion spell would be useful?" I asked.

"Well…airships can be quite difficult to destroy at range with fire magic because of the protection from windstones, yet powerful Earth magic wouldn't be able to reach them in the air. If a spell could directly make it explode…it would certainly be more effective."

"So, Louise, if the kingdom was invaded by many enemy warships…would you still consider your explosions useless and horrible? Would you refuse your king or queen's call to arms, even though nobody else can do what you can?"

"Of course not! I would do everything I could to help! But…could I really destroy airships like that? My explosions aren't that strong…"

"You've never tried the true Explosion spell. Of course it wouldn't be very powerful, you've been casting it accidentally while trying other spells you aren't suited for," I said.

"Then that means…"

"You are fully capable of casting magic. You simply need to learn the correct spells you are compatible with."

"Is that true, professor Colbert?!"

"Erm…it could be possible. But I've never heard of an explosion spell either," the professor rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Just as you've never heard of summoning human familiars, isn't that right?"

"Indeed. It's certainly something to look into…"

"Yes! I'm not a failure! I _can_ do magic! Once I learn the right spells, I'll show them all!" Louise cheered with a jump.

"Can anyone learn to use magic?" Saito asked suddenly.

"Huh? Of course not, you dumb commoner! Only nobles can use magic. That's why we're nobles, our bloodlines were blessed by Brimir with the gift of magic to protect and rule over the powerless commoners," said Louise.

"Right…"

It wasn't long before Agate found several areas of interest in the main tower. First was the central library, filled with rows and rows of bookshelves. The topics covered much more than just magic itself, which was no surprise as I'd noticed that the classes also covered topics other than just magic. This was an institution for the basic education of nobility as much as it was for magic—which made sense if you considered that in this society magic was effectively equivalent to nobility.

One section within the library seemed to be warded against entry. Although Agate could move in while phased out and then phase back in inside the area, it could still trigger the ward's alarms, or force her out.

It wasn't worth the risk yet.

Flying to a book entitled _Elementary Concepts in Magic_, Agate materialized under optic camouflage.

She would be invisible to regular sight, but not necessarily magical sight or advanced forms of technological scanning such as X-ray.

The reason for exposing herself to potential detection was because her next action required her to be materialized.

She made physical contact with the book and cast Structural Analysis on it. This spell was an advanced form of Structural Grasp, the version that I was capable of casting myself.

Grasp allowed me to send prana into an object or person in order to collect information about its structure. Analysis was a much more prana-intensive version that allowed Agate to scan the contents of a closed book, recording its text in her perfect memory.

Using this, I could scan the contents of each book in this library in just a few seconds without my body having to enter the library, then review the text at my leisure. Although it would take time for Agate and I to actually read and comprehend it, it was possible to scan through a huge amount of books within a few hours.

In this way, I could learn the theory of their magic in secret.

—Except, the book resisted the foreign prana.

'_It should be possible to overpower this with enough prana, but that will probably destroy the book. Even if the enchantment doesn't have a failsafe, that much prana going in would have an effect similar to failed Reinforcement,'_ said Agate.

After trying many other books, and observing their mana densities, the conclusion was clear.

Every single book in the library was protected by some kind of enchantment.

But why would they have such protections on these books? I didn't think that methods of magical reading and infiltration such as what Agate did were common in this world. If the enchantment were meant to prevent commoners from reading them, it still seemed excessive. Even _fiction_ was protected.

Was it really worth the effort to add such protective enchantments on every book?

'_I'm not so sure about that. If we go by the Mystic Imposition Theory, then rather than the protection blocking Structural Analysis, I believe it's because the book has a form of Magic Resistance. The enchantment itself is magical, therefore it must impose its own Mystery to the exclusion of a competing Mystery. It doesn't need to be enchanted specifically for protection from viewing to resist other spells,_' Agate thought.

'_So that must be why the magi of your world think that Structural Grasp is a useless spell. It's not supposed to work on anything with Mystery,'_ I thought back.

'_Agreed. These enchantments? They could just be preservation spells. Not like we have any way to distinguish right now._'

'_I suppose it does make sense if we look at it that way. A magical library would of course preserve all its books.'_

As we walked through the main gates, Agate found one other heavily warded area in the central tower. This area's wards even blocked her from seeing what was inside it, but from outside it was clearly locked by huge iron doors with a bolt and padlock—it must have been the treasury vault.

The ward was impressive magic to be sure, but what was it meant to block?

The significance of this ward could not be underestimated.

It was definitely not the same sort of phenomenon as that which blocked the Structural Analysis. Although we didn't understand the magic of the locals, this much could be discerned from the interaction of the different spells involved.

In the first place, Agate's true nature was that of a Mystic Code, an artificial tool of magic, such that her _every ability_ could be considered a spell. Her very existence was a Mystery of the highest level, and that which allowed her to see and hear were Mysteries in their own right.

So why then, was it possible for her to read enchanted books such as text on their covers through her normal vision but not read anything through via Structural Analysis?

It was because Structural Analysis was a Mystery [applied to the target] in order to extract information, whereas her sight was a Mystery that [processed received information]. The former would conflict with any other Mystery already on the target, whereas the latter was not directly interacting with the target.

Just like human eyes took in photons and used its physical interaction with components of the eye to generate an image to be processed by the brain, so too did Agate obtain information from light.

This ward was an actual protection against unauthorized viewing, which surprised me as I thought scrying was the domain of the lost Void magic, so what need was there to defend against it, and how would they even do it with the standard four elements?

And it somehow even blocked Agate—

—Ah. The answer had been hiding in plain sight, literally. Every mage could have a familiar, who could be the mage's eyes and ears.

Just like Agate was doing for me.

It would be rather incredible if they didn't develop some ways to stop small familiars from spying on important places after several millennia.

Most familiars I could see in the Familiar Garden as we passed it were at least the size of cats and dogs, but some were quite small. I saw a frog and some fairly small birds. There was also a floating eyeball, but that one was the size of a basketball.

O O O

"…and that's the situation," Colbert said, concluding his explanation.

The white-haired Headmaster Osmond stroked his long beard thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Jean. I believe I understand. Sir Axion and Mr. Saito, you both have my sympathies. Regretfully, it is simply not possible to return you to wherever you came from. The Familiar Summoning Ritual just doesn't work that way," he said, sighing deeply. "Although I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I feel that I must be honest with you. Even if the Church permitted the blasphemy of experimenting on the ritual, the reality is that our efforts would only be in vain. When mages perform the ritual, we are not truly the ones casting the spell of summoning and binding. The Church would say that it is the immortal will of the Holy Founder which directs the spell. Whether you believe that or not, it is undeniable that the ritual is just a ceremony. The magic doesn't come from the ceremony itself or the mage performing it, but an ancient spell which activates when a noble descendant of Brimir invokes it."

"So we're—we're stuck here?!" Saito shouted.

"Indoor voice, please, Mr. Saito," said Miss Longueville, the headmaster's glasses-wearing young secretary.

"I'm afraid that is so," said Osmond.

"Mom…dad…I'll never see them again?" Saito said, legs wobbling.

"Headmaster Osmond, I am not so unreasonable as to ask you to do the impossible. But if it is as you say, then I am forced to live here in this strange land, cut off from all my domains, titles and properties. How will I be compensated for this grievous loss and live peacefully in this land?" I asked.

"I would like to assist you as much as I can, Sir Axion, but there is very little that the school itself can provide as compensation. There is no legal precedent or authority within the school's Charter that would allow me to compensate you directly in this matter. I could perhaps appeal to the Crown on your behalf, but the stance of the Queen's counsel would likely be that Miss Vallière has sole responsibility should you claim any damages. But since you are neither citizen nor resident of the Kingdom, the courts are likely to take the view that you must follow procedures for international litigation. That is to say, you must first file suit with the courts in the Kingdom in which you hold citizenship, such that they may service the documents through the relevant embassies."

"But that doesn't make any sense! The whole problem is that Sir Axion _can't_ go back to his own country," said Louise.

"Indeed. Which is exactly why the courts would make that ruling," said Osmond, shaking his head. "Few of the justices would be interested in sitting over a case brought forth by a foreigner with no influence against a family as powerful as the Vallières."

"That's…that's dishonorable!"

"It shames me to admit it, but that is the way it is. If you feel it is unjust, Miss Vallière, you are free to offer compensation to Sir Axion of your own accord."

"Of course I will! How could I live up to the name of Vallière if I didn't take responsibility for inconveniencing Sir Axion?"

"Hey, what about me? Aren't you going to compensate me too?" Saito asked.

"Eh? If you're going to be my familiar, what's the point of compensating you? Everything I give you would belong to me anyway."

"What? I never agreed to be your familiar!"

Louise grabbed Saito's collar with an angry expression.

"Why, you stupid commoner…! You should be grateful to have this opportunity! If I had a choice, why would I ever choose _you_ to be my familiar?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Saito grabbed Louise's shirt in retaliation.

"H-hey! What are you doing, you perverted dog!" Louise's face turned red as Saito's grip ripped off the top button and exposed her skin.

"Oh shit! I didn't mean—"

Saito's apology was cut off by a hard slap that sent him crashing into the secretary's desk. His head slammed into the hard wooden edge, and his eyes rolled back.

"Urk!"

His body slid down, smearing the wood with blood from his head.


	4. 4 - Negotiations

**4 – Negotiations**

After Louise was escorted away by Miss Longueville to get a change of clothes, it was Osmond and myself left in the room.

"I understand if the school cannot compensate me directly from a legal perspective, but surely there is something you can do to help? You are the headmaster of the most prestigious school in Tristain, after all, and you seem like an honourable sort. Whatever the courts may say, the reality is that I was summoned under the supervision of this school. No one benefits when a man is forced to resort to desperate measures."

"Desperate measure, hmm? I suppose you're right. But what is that you would like help with? As I said, returning you to your world is not within my power, and if you need money, Louise seemed fairly willing."

Although I didn't care about reversing the summoning, negotiations were often about perception and bias than about quantitative or rational exchange. By setting a high or impossible opening demand, the other party is faced with a psychological threshold to negotiate down from. A terrible and insulting tactic when market prices are well known, but effective when dealing with things difficult to value or when there is a significant information advantage.

"Your people's magic may not be capable of returning me, but it may become possible by combining it with my own magic. I don't expect you to spend the resources to research this for years, but it's something I would want to pursue for myself. I imagine the school must have a library worthy of its prestige, and access to the library would be very helpful in this research."

"If you were Miss Vallière's familiar, there would be no problem. However, the library at the Academy is not open to the public, I'm afraid. You'd have to be a student, part of the staff, or given Crown permission. Still, if your magic is truly different…I imagine that might be of interest to the Crown, or to various mages on a personal level. A scholarly exchange wouldn't be out of the question."

I expected as much, but this wasn't something I needed to pursue aggressively right now. I could just as easily access the library by convincing a student to borrow some books on my behalf, and I could easily ask Louise to read her course textbooks. The problem with the other options Osmond mentioned was that there would be long-term obligations, and I didn't want to commit to anything yet.

"What about food and shelter in the short-term?"

I didn't actually need food or shelter to survive. I was fully capable of subsisting on a combination of sunlight, grass, leaves, animals, and soil, thanks to the power of my Bionanite Swarm enhanced digestive capabilities. My living armor could similarly feed on a huge variety of organic materials, and sleeping in the wilderness was easy with the comfort provided by my armor. Still, I had to act like a normal person, and get an excuse to hang around the school.

"Ah, that's an easier one. We have plenty of unused rooms you can stay in, and you can partake in the communal meals in the dining hall with the staff and students. I will make the arrangements for you, and you can stay for a month without any trouble. Any longer than that, and I'd have to file a request with the Crown, but I don't think they'd have any problem with you being a guest for a full term if necessary. I imagine four months would be sufficient to get your bearings."

"Thank you. That would be most helpful. Earlier, you mentioned the idea of citizenship, in regards to any lawsuits I might file. Nevermind the lawsuit, I don't plan on filing any—but how might one go about acquiring citizenship in Tristain? What restrictions on travel or work are there for foreigners?"

"Actually, there are really no restrictions on travel, other than paying the tolls, or if you're recognized as a known criminal. As far as I know, you don't need any sort of identification for travel purposes in Tristain or the nearby kingdoms, except in specific restricted areas. In regards to citizenship, there are many kinds of legal statuses in the kingdom. A noble is recognized by the Crown through letters patent, and this is not a simple matter. These days, almost all nobles derive nobility from birth. The vast majority of nobles do not have actual titles of peerage, but are noble simply by having a lineage traced to someone that did. However, for someone who was not born into Tristainian nobility to acquire the status is actually quite difficult and rare. It can only be acquired through marriage into a noble family, or by receiving a title of peerage from a higher ranked lord with the approval of the Crown. Simply having magic is not enough, though many jobs don't need or care about your actual noble status, or if they do, they don't bother checking. The main limitation is when you want to work for the Crown or the Church."

"So you're saying I don't really need to have any sort of legal status to live here. But there must be significant disadvantages?"

"Yes. As I said earlier, the courts will treat you differently. Simply put, if you are not a legal noble, and get into a conflict with an actual noble, it will not go well for you. The courts may not require any evidence except your accuser's word to convict you of a crime. Additionally, you would not enjoy the other privileges of nobility, such as exemptions from taxation, or the right to own most kinds of land. If you want to learn more about the specifics, I can pick out some books to loan to you on related topics."

"Please do. I would also be interested in anything you have that can help me understand what life is like in Tristain, the society, culture, economy, politics and international relations."

Osmond nodded and stood up, walking to a nearby bookshelf. "I have some useful books here with me…"

O O O

When Louise returned to the headmaster's office, Osmond suggested that she finish the rest of her classes for the day before returning to see him about the matter of her familiar, and he asked me to wait until her classes were over before discussing the matter of compensation with her.

After the meeting, a servant showed me the way to my guest room at the school. I spent some time reviewing the information Osmond provided me, and deliberating over my next course of action.

Over the long-term, gaining a proper noble title in Tristain would only be marginally useful to my plans. It simply didn't have many unique privileges relevant for a wanderer like me.

Most privileges weren't codified into a single law. The Crown could grant or revoke various privileges on an individual basis, and nobles who ruled over counties and duchies had significant power over their own domains.

Towns and cities had their own municipal laws and citizenships unrelated to nobility, for commoners.

There were some hallmarks of the early modern era, such as a standing army and fractional reserve banking, but many other things were very much feudal.

Most of the land in the country could not be purchased, as they were fiefs held by members of the peerage. The only land that could be purchased was land in communal areas such as villages, towns, and cities, which had their own rules.

Joint stock companies did not exist. A corporation was effectively a license, charter, or royal patent that granted some kind of monopoly over a business or area. If it wasn't operated directly by the Crown, it was usually a right given to specific nobles.

In the short-term, I would be fine without any title. Political power would only become relevant if I needed it to achieve some specific purpose, or if I wanted to spend the months and years it would take to build a permanent base of operations on this world.

And if I wanted to do that, there were better, faster ways than to work within the system.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Interlude]**

"Why do you wear full armour even in your own room?" Louise asked with curiosity in her eyes. "Isn't that uncomfortable?"

She sat facing Sir Axion who was still covered from head to toe in that strange armour of his.

"No. Is armour in Tristain normally uncomfortable?"

"I don't know…I just thought, it's a lot of metal, right? It'd be heavy and cumbersome." She had seen armour worn by the Griffon Knights and Manticore, and especially the armour her mother put on when punishing her. There were smaller pieces of chest armour that exposed the arms and legs which weren't too bad and she knew a lot of knights wore indoors, but the full plate armours didn't look comfortable to be in, with the clanking and awkward joint movements. Though Sir Axion's seemed much more flexible and smooth.

"My armour is unique. It doesn't suffer from such drawbacks. But never mind that, you're here to ask me about being your familiar, aren't you?"

"Yes. What will it take for you to be my familiar?"

"Why do you want a familiar? Isn't it possible to be a mage without having one?"

"But it's a requirement for the Academy! I have to have a familiar to stay enrolled in the school."

"Is that all, then? If it's just having _a _familiar, why don't you simply form the contract with Saito?"

"He doesn't want to either…" She said dejectedly.

"You've spoken to him already, after the incident earlier today?"

"No, but it's pretty obvious all he cares about is going home."

"You didn't seem concerned about his opinion before. Weren't you going to finish the ritual without asking him, back during the class?"

"Mr. Colbert was telling me to hurry up and finish it, and everyone was watching! I had to do it to prove I'm a mage!"

"So you wouldn't have forced him otherwise?"

"Familiars are supposed to be willing! That's the point of the ritual…it summons the perfect familiar. Nobody else has this problem. Obviously I want a familiar that _wants_ to be my familiar, just like everyone else!"

"But nobody else has a human familiar either. If I were to become your familiar, would you expect to treat me like any other beast?"

Her face turned into a horrified expression. Is that what Sir Axion had been afraid of? She could never do something like that to another noble!

"N-no, of course not! You're a noble!"

"But as your familiar, wouldn't I have to take orders from you? Should I live my whole life according to your whims? Master and servant…it doesn't seem too different from slavery."

"No way! It wouldn't be like that! I wouldn't make you do anything you don't want to."

"But what if I have things I want to do that have nothing to do with you?"

"Then I guess I'd have to go with you." It wouldn't be fair if they only did things she wanted, right? If he was her familiar, she'd have to help him too.

"So in exchange for helping you, you'd help me? Does that sound about right?"

"Yes! We'd be partners, not master and servant! Partners!"

"Unfortunately, even as partners, you are not ready to form that kind of partnership with me."

Her shoulders slouched in defeat as she looked down. "Right. Who'd want to be the familiar of Louise the Zero? I'm useless…"

Suddenly Sir Axion grabbed her chin and lifted her face.

"I didn't say that. I said you're not ready for that kind of partnership. You will grow into a powerful mage in the future, one that might be worthy of being my partner, but right now you're just getting started. I don't think your magic is even strong enough to form the contract with me, and even if you were successful, the ongoing upkeep cost to your willpower reserves might overwhelm you."

"Upkeep? I've never heard of anything like that."

He must have been trying to comfort her with a white lie, she thought. But Sir Axion continued to explain with all seriousness.

"It's a magical bond…there is obviously a cost to maintaining it. On normal familiar beasts, the bond grants the familiar intelligence and additional power, while sharing their senses with the master. All spells have a cost, so why wouldn't the familiar bond have one?"

"Huh…that makes sense. But they never taught us anything about that."

"Because the familiar can also share its strength with the master, and when they are summoned, it's usually a familiar appropriate for the master's capabilities and potential. So normal mages don't feel the burden—the ritual chooses a familiar they are capable of supporting. If you look at the familiars your classmates summoned, aren't they generally quite young? They are intended to grow with the master."

Her eyes brightened. "Now that you mention it, it's true! Nobody summoned anything old!"

"However, you are a special case. You have far more potential than a normal mage and there are not many things capable of matching your potential, so you summoned something exceptionally powerful—me. That doesn't mean your current willpower and skill is sufficient to actually form the bond with me though. Your potential far exceeds your current ability."

"Really?" Did Sir Axion truly believe in her potential? Even though everything he said made sense, she found it hard to believe anyone would really think so highly of her.

"Yes. You have the potential to be one of the strongest mages on the continent."

"How do you know?"

"Because the familiar reflects the summoner's potential, just as it shows the summoner's elemental affinity. In this world, what is the strongest creature?"

"I don't know." She thought back to all the familiars summoned, and the beasts she knew about. What was majestic and mighty, and what did she originally hope for? "Dragons?"

"No. Aren't dragons tamed by the Dragon Knights? Would you consider the dragon stronger or the knight that rides it stronger? Who rules this land?"

"You mean…mages?"

"Yes, you catch on quick. Humans are the strongest. Mages are stronger than commoners, but even commoners are stronger than the vast majority of wild animals by virtue of their intelligence. Commoners are much more useful for things other than simple fighting, wouldn't you agree? They can farm, craft, smith, trade, and so much more. With the right weapons in hand, such as guns and bombs, they can also fight off most animals or even weaker mages."

It sounded strange to think like that, but she saw the logic. Mages were obviously the strongest, aside from maybe the elves and some other firstborn races. Commoners were weak, but they were useful enough that the nobles ruled over commoners instead of just kingdoms of animals. It was hard to see them as better than dragons, but it was true that the Musketeer corps could be a threat even to mages.

"If you put it that way…I guess humans are pretty strong. And I'm the only one who summoned humans, so that means…I have the most potential! I get it!" She smiled widely and nodded to herself. "You know a lot more about magic than the teachers at the school, Sir Axion! You even knew why my spells keep exploding!"

"I wouldn't say I know _more_ about magic than your teachers. I simply know different things, things that are relevant to your own magic. There is much about your land's magic I am unfamiliar with, and I look forward to learning it."

"Do you know what my element is too?!" She asked excitedly.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /


	5. 5 - Student

**5 – Student**

**[Interlude]**

Sir Axion stayed silent for a moment. "Do you truly wish to know? Even if it may bring disaster and ill fortune to you and yours?"

"Huh? What do you mean?

"Some things are better left unknown. The truth can set you free, but it can be a terrible burden, one too heavy to bear for those of weak will. Once you discover your element, it will set you down a path of no return."

Then his voice seemed to change ominously, growing deeper and echoing with every word.

"**You shall wield a power unlike any other, yet condemned to live a life of solitude. You shall be both hated and revered in turn, but none shall truly understand you, for you will cease to be a normal human. Your awakening shall mark the beginning of the end of an era, bringing misery and terror upon the reckoning. Great destruction and chaos shall follow before the dawn.**"

"What…what was that?" Goosebumps rose on her skin as she heard the prophetic pronouncement.

But there was no such thing as real prophecy. Not even magic could see the future. Many had claimed to be oracles throughout history, but they were of no consequence. Prophecy belonged firmly in the realm of stories and madmen. But there was something about the way Sir Axion spoke that was deeply unsettling. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it.

"It is the destiny that awaits you. There are greater forces at work than you know. I have thus warned you of the consequences. Do you truly wish to know, even so?"

"I don't understand…but a life of solitude? Misery and terror? Why? It sounds horrible. What could be so bad about my element?"

"Nothing in the future is ever certain, child. You may avert the worst if you are strong of will and heart, but it is in the nature of your element to leave a mark on the world, whether for great good or great evil. By summoning humans, you have already set yourself apart and made history. Therefore I ask you a third and final time. Do you truly wish to know your element and embrace your destiny that awaits?"

Where once she had been excited, doubt and apprehension crept into her every pore.

But was there any other choice? She needed to be a mage, and she needed to find out her element. That was the purpose of the school requiring the familiar summoning ritual. It was needed to determine her course selections appropriate for her element. If she didn't know her element, even if she completed the familiar contract and was allowed to stay at the school, she would still be unable to advance into many higher courses.

She knew what she had to do. Whatever the consequences, she would face them honorably and resolutely. Anything less would bring shame to the name of Vallière.

"I still don't really understand it, but…I won't hide from the truth out of fear of what might be! I need to know my element to be a mage. You said I just need a strong will and heart, right? I'll just have to make sure that nothing bad happens!"

"I see. Very well then. Your element is…"

The foreign knight leaned in close and whispered to her ears.

"…Void."

She must have heard wrong. Void? After all that build up, how could Sir Axion say something so blasphemous? It had to have been a joke.

"Wh-what?! Vo—!" Her shout was cut off.

A hand clamped over her mouth immediately.

"Do not speak it so loudly!" He hissed angrily. "There is no telling what might be listening from the shadows, or in the halls behind the door! Do you _want_ to be branded a heretic and burned at the stake?"

Her eyes were wide open with fear. Of course she didn't want to be part of such heresy! But if Sir Axion knew that it was heretical, then why did he say it? He clearly wasn't an ignorant and uncultured heathen if he understood that much. He couldn't really believe it was _true_, could he?

Her, having the legendary Void?

"I am going to remove my hands. You will keep your voice down and we can continue this discussion discreetly. Blink twice if you understand."

She did as told.

After gathering her wits, she whispered back. "But that's impossible! I can't have the holy Void. That's the Founder's element."

"Good. It seems you understand. If the wrong people hear of this, disaster awaits. Until you are powerful enough, it is best to act exactly as you just did, as if you know nothing and the idea is simply impossible."

"Wait, that's not what I meant! I mean really, it's impossible! The Void has been lost for thousands of years."

"It was lost because nobody had the affinity, or perhaps any foolish enough to reveal their affinity was quietly killed by the inquisition. Of course, you don't need to believe me. What you do with that knowledge is your own business. You can reject the reality and live in ignorance at your own peril, if you prefer being Louise the Zero."

"I don't prefer to be Louise the Zero! Don't say it like I chose to be a failure!"

"You didn't have a choice before, but now you do. I thought you said you wouldn't hide from the truth out of fear of what might be?"

"That was…! I wouldn't…but it can't be true!"

"How disappointing." Sir Axion shook his head. "If this is the extent of your resolve, then you are sure to meet with misery and terror in your future. Perhaps it would have been better for you to have given up being a mage. Getting disowned for being worthless would be better than suffering through what lies ahead."

"D-disowned? No…no…I won't!" She could see it happening. Her mother always had high expectations for her, but she had failed them all. Without magic, she wasn't even a proper noble. That was why she was so desperate to get a familiar, to prove that she had magic. If she couldn't bind a familiar and got expelled from the school, her family might actually disown her! Even if she did get a familiar…if she never learned another spell, she might still be disowned eventually!

"Believe whatever you want. I have nothing to gain from lying to you."

She was Louise the Zero, even though she didn't want to admit it. She had never been able to cast a spell. If she really did have the Void, maybe everything would make sense, but it was just too good to be true. Only one who had the blessing of the Founder could possibly have the Void. To think otherwise would be heresy of the highest order.

How could she possibly believe that she was worthy of having such a holy blessing?

"I…I don't believe you, you have to be lying…this is a trick, isn't it? I was a failure for so long, and now suddenly there's an answer to all my problems, and I even have a legendary power? How could I fall for such a…a scam? What do you want exactly? Money? I already said I'd compensate you. You didn't have to do this. Or maybe you just want to go home? You want me to help you find a way back, so you want me to look into lost magic?"

Suddenly Sir Axion began to chuckle, which shortly turned into full blown laughter. There was a sinking feeling in her gut. Had it been a prank all along? How could he be so cruel?

Then, as abruptly as it began, his laughter stopped.

"Fool. I don't need your money or your help to leave this world. Why do you think I so quickly recognized the difference in the two moons? Do you think a normal mage, instead of being in confusion and shock at being summoned, would look at the sky to scour for differences in something as constant as the moons in the sky, especially in daylight when they're barely visible?"

"…!" Her face turned to shock. Why didn't she notice that before? He was right! Why would someone suddenly in a strange place immediately look at the moons? A normal person would never even think about it! The celestial bodies in the sky were fixtures that hadn't changed for thousands of years.

"No…you…you've been summoned before?!" That was the only conclusion she could come to. He must have been in a similar situation, and knew what to look for.

"Not summoned. I can travel the void between worlds through my own power, I hardly need the assistance of a summoner," he scoffed.

"That's…Void Traveler…" Her eyes widened as she remembered the title he claimed. She hadn't thought anything of it before, but now she was starting to understood. "But then, why did you act that way before? As if you were stuck here and wanted compensation because you couldn't leave?"

"Did you already forget what I taught you mere minutes ago? All spells have a cost. The greater the spell, the greater the cost. The cost for traveling the Void is _immense_, do you understand? The only reason a whelp like you could summon me is because you didn't need to power the full spell, merely activate Brimir's spell through a ritual as Osmond kindly explained. Of course I require compensation, if I am to use my own power to leave! But such knowledge of such powers is not meant for unworthy ears!"

"O-oh…"

"As for money, I assure you no amount of _money_ is enough to pay the cost, and from what I've already learned about you, there is nothing you can give me that one of my power cannot easily acquire elsewhere or take by force. I gifted you the knowledge of your element on a whim, because I thought you had potential and the resolve to achieve greatness. But if you would rather live in denial until your uncontrolled explosions destroy you one day, then begone! I have better things to do than to entertain a foolish child, such as finding something of _worth_ on this world so that my presence here will not be a complete waste of time and energy."

Sir Axion made a shooing motion and gestured to the door.

Louise sat in stunned silence. She could hear the disdain as he said those last words to her, and felt humiliated. He was obviously implying that she was worthless, and she couldn't help but agree. Hadn't Sir Axion helped her already without actually asking anything in return?

And here she was, doubting and insulting the one person who knew anything about her problems with magic, completely misunderstanding his intentions.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was stupid, please forgive me for accusing you of lying!"

The silence from Sir Axion from suffocating. Had she irrevocably lost her chance already? How could she have been so stupid? Even if she didn't believe him at first, she didn't have to insult him by calling it a scam and saying all those stupid things.

"Is that so? Why do you care if I forgive you or not? Once I leave, we will have nothing more to do with each other."

"Wait, wait, please! I don't know what to do! You're the only one knows anything about Void magic. If you leave, I'll never be able to learn any magic! Everyone here thinks I'm just a failure. I need your help, please! That's why, please forgive me!"

"You sounded quite sure of yourself when you assured me of your resolve not to hide from the truth. Yet your words meant little once you heard the truth. Were you merely pretending in order to satisfy me, and are you again pretending to be apologetic because you've realized that you need more help from me?"

"No! Please…it was just too much of a shock! I didn't mean to insult you like that. How can I prove that I'm being sincere? I really am sorry!"

"Hm. I can tell when someone is lying or not. It seems that you speak the truth. You are forgiven, though you have disappointed me with your foolishness."

She let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. But she couldn't shake the feeling of shame and regret. Sir Axion had been the only person who ever acknowledged her potential, and she had disappointed him. She had to watch herself and do better. Think before saying anything stupid.

"So, at least you can learn from your mistakes. But what do you think I can do to help you?"

There was a brief pause as she collected her thoughts and calmed down.

"Sir Axion, you're a Void mage, aren't you? That's how you know so much about it, and recognized my affinity so easily, right? Can you teach me?"

She waited with trepidation as the silence stretched on, wondering if she had somehow insulted him again. To her relief, when he eventually answered it was without hostility.

"Close, but not quite. I do not have the Void for an affinity like you and Brimir, nor can I use it the same way you do on the material planes. I have a different kind of relationship with the Void, one that is less about using its influence to perform magic, and more about higher order interactions. Teaching you is certainly within the realm of my abilities, but you should know that you cannot learn new Void spells directly from me. While on the surface we may bear some similarities to each other, being able to do some of the same things, the reality is that there are different underlying mechanisms at work, ones that are not mutually compatible."

"I don't really understand what you mean, but, but! Void is a lost magic and there's nobody else I can learn it from. Even if you're not a Void mage, you can still do more with it than anybody else! Even if it's only a little, if you can teach me anything at all, I'd be grateful! Please, I don't need a legendary power…all I want is just to be a mage!"

"Hm…I suppose I could spare the time to give you some pointers before I go."

"Yes!" She cheered, then caught herself and looked abashed. "I mean, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me yet. I won't be doing this for free. I will require payment."

"Of course! Ah…but I also have to compensate you for the summoning, right? All I've got is a thousand écu right now…I won't get any more money from home until next term."

"What is the value of an écu?"

"Well, the écu is a gold coin, and it's worth about twenty silver sous. A sou is worth twelve copper denier."

"I mean what can one écu buy on the actual market, then? I need a frame of reference. For example, what's your tuition at the school?"

"Um…my tuition at the Academy is ten thousand écu per term. A decent meal at a proper establishment would cost at least two écu per head, and about six écu for one night's stay. I'm not sure what one écu can buy…oh! Some of the commoner servants at home are paid ten sous a day."

"And all you've got is 1000 écu for the whole term? That's enough to cover all your discretionary expenses?"

"I know the other kids have a lot more, but mother is really strict. I could probably get by on two hundred until my next allowance if I'm careful not to cause more damage from spell failures…"

Last year she had to pay over six thousand écu in damages and medical costs, and her mother was furious with her. The thought of having to ask home for more money again because of her failures terrified her.

"I see. Consider yourself lucky that I have no real need for money, nor do I want to leave you destitute. Just give me 500 and I'll teach you for a week. As for the summoning, you can owe me three favours instead. I will tell you what they are when I think of them."

"Thank you, Sir Axion, you are truly generous!"

"Now then, let's not waste time. First, you will give me your textbooks so I can review your curriculum and what you've learned previously."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /


	6. 6 - Contract with Saito

**6 – Contract with Saito**

I found Saito lying down in a bed in a patient room in the infirmary. After inquiring about his condition, I found that he'd already been healed and was merely sleeping. The school had covered his medical expenses

Nobody seemed to watch or care what I was doing here with him, so I shut the door and moved beside Saito.

The next moment, he was jolted awake when I switched my laser gun to taser mode and shocked him.

"Ah!" He cried out and twitched, eyes searching frantically while I put my gun away.

"Calm down. I just needed to wake you up," I said.

"What—what the hell! You didn't have to do that! What even was that? A taser gun?" He said in outrage, sitting up.

"Oh, you're pretty quick on the uptake. Yes it was."

He frowned as he looked around the room. "So what happened after that bitch hit me?"

"Nothing. Colbert took you away and the school's mages healed you. You've been in the infirmary ever since. How's your head feeling?"

He glared at me. "I feel fine…no thanks to you!"

"Don't act so fragile. A little shock won't hurt you. More importantly, you're mistaken. You wouldn't have been treated so well if I wasn't here. You think that girl's attitude is anything strange in this world? They see you as a commoner, and in this society magic-less commoners are treated like dirt. If they weren't trying to look respectable in front of polite company like me, you might not have been treated at all. They certainly wouldn't have stopped the ritual earlier without my interference, or were you hit so hard you don't remember that?"

He looked taken aback, then his frown deepened. "Damn, you're right. I guess I owe you my thanks for earlier. But aren't you a mage like them too?"

"I'm not from this world either, just like you. Even if I have magic, I don't share their customs and views on people without magic. Even if magicless people are generally inferior, it doesn't mean that there aren't exceptional individuals who are better in areas other than magic. Maybe you're smarter, physically stronger, more charismatic or disciplined…I judge people based on their individual merits, not simplistic generalizations based one trait they were born with. In the end, _what_ you can achieve matters more than how you do it. Where I come from, magic is pretty rare. Science and technology has achieved a great deal that magic couldn't. This world is quite backwards in comparison."

"That's good. At least we have that in common. My world was full of technology and science too," he said with a breath of relief. "I still can't believe magic is even real."

"Did your world have no magic?"

"Not at all. Magic was just fantasy and superstition."

"Well, it's real here. You were healed with magic. And that magic gives the system of nobility here far more power than the masses. They have something to prove that they are different from the rest…and a way to enforce that superior social position."

"Yeah…but that's not a problem for you, is it?" He said glumly.

"On the contrary. These people are quite religious about their magic. My magic, being different from theirs, is at best a curiosity, and at worst, a subject of unwanted interest from dangerous parties. But I will admit, your own situation is much worse than mine."

He swore and clenched the fabric of the hospital blanket. "This is insane. They're saying we can't ever go home. Aren't you angry about it?"

"I'm not particularly pleased about being summoned, but there's no point in getting angry. The reality is what it is. They obviously didn't intend for this result either, and they can't fix it. Blaming them won't achieve anything. You'd be better off thinking about how to survive here."

"But what the hell am I supposed to do? I don't have any magic or money. Where would I go after escaping, even if I could somehow make it out of here?"

"Is that what you're planning to do? Escape?"

The boy threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know! These people freak me out and I don't like the sound of what they want to do to me. I just want to go home, but I can't."

"I wouldn't advise trying to escape. Like you said, you have no magic or money. Life is tough for commoners here, and even more so for someone foreign who isn't used to living in this kind of society."

Saito stayed quiet for a moment as if thinking, then closely scrutinized me.

"So why did you come and wake me up?"

"I came here because I thought you might be hungry soon. You're a commoner so these people haven't made any arrangements for you. That's why I got some food for you myself. Now it would look strange if I, a noble, brought you food, so you need to follow me to the guest room I'm staying at. But nobody would be suspicious if a commoner was following a noble around like a servant, and that way they will think you're working for me, and therefore under my protection."

"Oh…thanks! I do pretty feel pretty hungry."

"Now let's go. We can talk more there. Try not to draw any attention to yourself by looking too fiercely at anyone. Act like a normal commoner the best you can."

"Seriously? Damn, I don't know if I can act like that. I just have to look down, right?"

On the way back, there were many whispers and people pointing at us when they thought we weren't looking. But they all kept their distance.

O O O

While Saito ate, we continued to chat.

"So, what are you planning to do here? I assume you're not going to try and escape, not that you need to, with how they treat you here," he said enviously, looking at room full of what appeared to be antique furniture, and the luxuriously grand meal he was consuming. There was roast duck breast, mussels, veal ragout, onion soup, salad, soufflé, wine. It looked more like a feast for two or three people than one, even though this was apparently the standard dinner portions for a single noble.

"And I'm grateful, but why exactly are you helping me?"

"I'm interested in studying the magic of this world, and exploring it. As for why I'm helping you, well, I think we can help each other. We're both outsiders here…it makes sense to try to work together, right?"

"Help each other? But how?"

"In the short-term, you need food and shelter to survive and a way to protect yourself from the nobles. I can help you with that. In the long-term, you need to find a way back home. I happen to know how you might be able to do that."

"Wait, seriously?! You know how we can go home?" He nearly choked on his food and swallowed hard, rubbing his throat.

"Yes, but like I said, it's a long-term goal. It won't be easy. I know of a spell that can open a portal that goes in the opposite direction as the summoning, but I don't know how to cast it myself. It might take a lot of research, but it's definitely possible."

"Are, are you sure?" A glimmer of cautious hope flashed in his eyes.

"I am 100% sure. I already have a plan. You see, the girl who summoned us has a special magic that I recognize. That's why she summoned humans instead of animals like everyone else, as you've heard us talk about earlier today. If she learns the right spell, she can create the return portal. The problem though, is that the magic required is considered both lost and of religious significance similar to the so-called sacred rite of the familiar summoning that Osmond said would be heretical to mess around with. The church has a lot of power here, so nobody else will help us. Fortunately for us, that girl can _only_ do magic that would be considered heretical, and nobody else can or will help her, which is why people think she's a failure around here. So if we play our cards right, we can get her on our side and have her learn the spell eventually."

"Oh man, that's the best news I've heard all day. At least there's hope," he said, having forgotten all about his food.

"Don't get too excited yet. This is going to be a long and difficult undertaking. I hope you realize that everyone else might become an enemy at any time. If anyone finds out what we're doing, and the church decrees that we need to be burned at the stake…"

"I got it. We just gotta keep it a secret, right? I can do that. So what's the plan?"

If I really cared that much about 'the plan' and keeping it a secret, I'd be more cautious about dealing with an overly excited kid who didn't seem to be taking this very seriously, but his enthusiasm merely worked to my favour.

"First, you need to let the girl finish the familiar ritual on you. Despite what it sounds like, you actually benefit much more from it than her."

"Wait what? I don't want to be her familiar. Isn't it just being a servant?"

"Look, how else are you going to survive? If you're her familiar, she'll have to keep you alive, at least. And if she treats you badly, I can help smooth things over. Right now, she desperately needs my help to learn how to use her special magic, and she knows it. She'll listen to me if I tell her to be nice to you."

He still looked hesitant. "So basically, you're saying I have no choice."

He should have been grateful that I even talked to him about it first. I could have simply told Louise to finish the ritual while he was unconscious. But I didn't say that out loud, as I wanted him to think I was on his side.

Still, he needed to understand his position. People naturally start taking things for granted if you help without a price, and many people often even get the idea that you somehow owe them even more after a while. Like dear Amelia in Worm, the moment she stopped healing people for free, there was quite a controversy over why she wasn't serving the public anymore, and a vocal minority that even blamed her for failing to save their loved ones, at least until her accomplishments as part our hero team outshone her prior reputation as the miracle healer. It was an unfortunately irrational aspect of human nature.

"Do you think you can survive on your own? Becoming her familiar, she'll be more obliged to help you. I also need to observe and research the magic involved with the familiar bond and summoning. And to be frank, I'm much more interested in the dimensional magic itself than using it to go anywhere. From my perspective, there's an adventure to be had out there exploring this new world. So if you aren't going to contribute anything, understand that I'm not going to keep helping a freeloader, nor am I going to be in any rush to discover that particular spell."

"Damn," he said and swore again. "I get it…I'll contribute. But becoming someone's servant, especially somebody like her…ugh…this sucks."

"It's not that bad. Like I said, I'll smooth things over if she treats you badly. Just think of it like a job. You're still young so maybe you won't understand, but if your world is anything like mine, I doubt it'll that much worse than the backbreaking corporate grind of most average workers."

"Yeah but I was just a second year high school student. I had years of messing around before working."

Time to switch my angle. The carrot after the stick.

"Then, at least you get to work for a cute girl your own age, right?"

"She's not…okay maybe she is. Her face is so hot. If only she had bigger boobs, she would be a perfect ten," he said, eyes glazing over as he stared into an image only he could see in his head. That was an abrupt change.

"And as her familiar, you'd be just almost like a lover. You'd be with her all the time, protecting her. Wouldn't it be easy for feelings to develop? She'll probably have you stay in the same room as her at night too."

"Oh, yeah…like a lover…" he said as drool collected on his lips.

"Also, I believe you will receive a special power once you become her familiar. It's the best and easiest way to gain the strength to protect yourself, and you'll look cool while protecting her."

That caught his attention again as he blinked. "A special power?" He asked curiously.

"Most familiars, which are animals, like the ones the other mages have, gain sentience and become stronger once they become familiars. But when a mage with the special magic that the girl has forms a bond with a human familiar, the familiar gets one of several great powers instead. I believe that her familiar would gain mastery of all weapons and a tremendous boost to physical strength and speed. In other words, you would become a superhuman warrior."

"Ooohhh…" His eyes lit up. "That actually sounds pretty cool."

"That's why I said you actually benefit more than her. You get a nice power, and she pays the magical cost, but she can't really force you to do anything."

"She can't? But how do mages keep their familiars loyal?"

"Normally, with an animal, they just naturally become loyal. With a human, I'm not sure. I suppose there might be a mental compulsion of sorts."

"Wait hold on, you mean like mind control?" He asked with shock.

"If you're worried about it, I have a way to deal with it. In fact, I was going to suggest this anyways, to make sure we can trust each other not to betray our secret to the church. We can form a magically binding contract for our little conspiracy, the terms of which would be as follows. Both of us will not deliberately betray any secrets about our true goals and activities to others without mutual agreement, and neither will try to deliberately harm the other directly or indirectly. Our goals are to research the lost magic known as the Void, and to have the girl named Louise Vallière learn and cast the Void spell to bring you back to your world. As part of the process, I will help you survive and mediate between you and the girl, while you need to help me with the magic research. I can further include a clause which says that if I suspect you are under the influence of the girl's mind control, you will obey my commands instead until I can break you free of her influence. It's not perfect, but it should act as a counterbalancing influence."

"A magical contract, huh? Is that really going to work?"

"It's not perfect, but it can definitely impose a penalty if you fail to comply. So if her spell is too strong and you cannot obey my commands because you're under her control, you could be paralyzed as a penalty and she won't be able to control you either. Then I can negotiate for your release."

"But what if it does work, and you abuse your control over me?"

"The contract also says that we can't harm each other, remember? So I won't be able to do that."

Of course, harm was up to interpretation.

"Un, alright. I guess I can accept that."

"I'm going to need some of your blood to cast the spell," I said, taking out a knife. My armour at my hand retracted and I made a small cut on myself first.

He followed my instructions, then I fully recited the terms of the contract again, and cast a Geas curse, which I had carefully refined after experimenting on numerous human subjects back on Worm. In the source material that inspired this spell, the caster had been able to do it with a quick incantation and not even formally reciting the exact terms of the contract. After independently re-inventing a similar spell, I discovered with Agate was that the spell required not only the true consent of the of target, but also that it was more powerful if I got the target to participate in ritual actions that strengthened the conceptual weight of their commitment, and even stronger when they gave me a piece of their body to use as the curse anchor, such as blood, or performed a sacrifice for the ritual.

Agate materialized in my hand and captured the blood from both of us—my own blood was superfluous. It was just there to make him think it was a mutual contract.

There was a lot I wasn't telling him, like the fact that my Geas curse only affected the target of the curse, not myself, even if it was worded to have mutual obligations. The only mutual part of it was that if the target believed that I failed to hold up my end of the bargain, the target's obligations would be cancelled. In other words, the only person that could enforce the contract was me, and I could go against the contract with no consequences simply by making sure the target never realized I was breaking it.

It also wasn't true that it couldn't force people to do things. It was entirely possible to force very limited actions under certain circumstances with the powered up blood ritual version I just used, but it couldn't be used to control people like a puppet for extended periods or complex tasks.

Finally, there was the fact that I was quite certain the familiar bond did have a mind control component, and that it wasn't something Louise had active control over. In other words, I would always be suspecting Saito of being under the influence, therefore I could command him to obey me at any time.

"Argh!" He clutched at his chest painfully. "Could've warned me…"

"Sorry, too late for that. But I can warn you that the ritual for the girl's familiar bond is much more painful."

"Ugh…shit!"

O O O

The two of us went to Louise shortly after and informed her that Saito had agreed to the familiar bonding.

She quickly got over her shock and performed the ritual.

I observed as much of it as I could with Agate, and in the end, Gandálfr was spelled out in old Norse runes on the back of Saito's left hand. I wondered if Brimir actually came from an ancient Norse civilization from another Earth.

I left them on their own to do some master-familiar bonding, and told them that we would meet after Louise's classes the next day to begin training and testing their abilities.

Neither of them could hide their excitement. I doubted their good moods would last much longer after they spent some time together. I could do something about Louise's attitude towards Saito upfront, but it would be better to let him experience it first. If he didn't complain about it, I wouldn't mind if he got used to being a servant. Who knows, he might even enjoy some parts of it.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /


	7. 7 - The Floating Island

**7 – The Floating Island**

As I slept, Agate went out to track down my Amphibious All-Purpose Vehicle.

There was an emergency locator radio beacon that the AAPV was broadcasting, whose location could be triangulated by receiving the signal at different locations.

Agate had eventually found it hiding in a forest near the east coast of Albion—if you could call the edge of a floating island a coast.

Albion was an island country only 300 km away from the coast of Tristain, though the distance varied throughout the year as the island moved around sometimes, even overlapping Tristain occasionally.

As for how the AAPV could be 'hiding'?

That was because it had an AI controlling it. It was another instance of the same AI I had on the portable computation core in my armor, which also ran my visor systems including the lie-detector software I used on Louise, though the two instances were too far to communicate effectively on high bandwidth wireless channels.

Its name was Offensive Bias, obtained in the Worm plane by making a copy of the AI superhero Dragon, and named after an AI from another story. It was also one of the key pillars behind the meteoric expansion of my power base during the final phase of my month-long stay in Worm, capable of unlimited parallel processing and exponentially growing productive capacity with Tinkertech and modern technology.

When Agate phased into the interior of the AAPV, Offensive Bias delivered a report on its activities.

The AAPV had the misfortune to appear in the middle of an ongoing pitched battle, while I had disappeared without a trace or any discernible cause. As per our entry risk scenarios, Offensive Bias considered my disappearance to be either a planar travel accident or enemy interference.

The protocol for this was to avoid attention as much as possible, while broadcasting the emergency locator beacon so I could try to find it, and gather information in the meanwhile. If I didn't find it within a few days, it would take other steps to locate me instead.

Because it appeared in the middle of a battle, it had caught the attention of both sides. A bulky tank-like vehicle appearing on an early modern battlefield packed with melee combatants looked grossly out of place. Stealth capabilities onboard weren't advanced enough to achieve visual cloaking at such close ranges, even if the Tinkertech worked—and it didn't.

One side actually tried to attack it almost immediately, while the other seemed to think the AAPV was on their side.

But Offensive Bias saw no need to participate in the battle, and flew away after extending the wings and engaging the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster system.

Modern MPD thrusters were still in the experimental and prototype stages, and none of them were suitable for low atmosphere flight due to the extremely low thrust generated. Like other ion engines, this technology was developed mainly for interplanetary travel because their mass ratio and specific impulse efficiency and were many orders of magnitude better than chemically propelled rockets. But even though these were the most efficient ion engines, they still suffered from the low thrust.

In space, acceleration was basically irrelevant when you could continuously thrust up to higher velocities by Newton's first law, but in atmosphere, drag forces and gravity made acceleration far more important.

As its name implied, the AAPV was a vehicle that I wanted to work in all sorts of environments—land, atmosphere, water, and space. That meant forms of propulsion that required a medium such as jet engines which inhaled air were unsuitable, and something like MPD thrusters was ideal.

The limitation of modern MPD was the extreme power requirements needed to generate higher thrust, and the extreme weight that such power generation would add to the whole setup.

That just happened to be a problem we had solutions to. Of all the Tinkertech we had access to, most broke down without the Wormvoid physics, but often there were principles and components that we could learn from and use. The more examples of Tinker designs in a single section of the tech tree that we had, the more we could advance our non-Tinker tech beyond that of modern technology.

So while we were mostly limited to Worm's 2011 tech, some of our tech was actually decades ahead.

The most advanced area by far was in power sources, specifically nuclear power, because energy was the foundation for every Tinker regardless of specialization—you couldn't do anything without it. And the energy requirements for most Tinkertech were off the charts even though almost everybody built only small-scale tech meant for a single person's use, so everybody had really powerful reactors, the majority of which were based on nuclear principles.

The AAPV was thus equipped with compact nuclear fission reactors that could handle the necessary electricity required for the MPD thrusters, enough to break the sound barrier even with the terrible drag it suffered from its volume-maximizing form.

Still, relatively speaking, the reactor and thruster systems did take up a lot of space and weight just because the vehicle was so small, while also adding some risk of catastrophic failure, but when I had left Worm I wanted to make sure I had the ability to run away from any overwhelming foes.

It didn't need to go anywhere near the speed of sound to escape _this_ battlefield, though, as the Dragon Knights were moving at less than 100 km/h.

They could only watch dumbly as the streak of light disappeared into the distance.

Eventually, Offensive Bias found its current hiding position and sent out smaller stealth drones for reconnaissance on the locals.

The report had me thinking about whether it was really a good idea to plane shift with the AAPV. Though it had stealth and camouflage capabilities, it wasn't to the level where they wouldn't attract attention if I landed in a populated area.

Before this world, I'd been lucky enough to enter without witnesses, but in the future…I wondered if I might be better off keeping a lower profile, and only going back to Worm to get it if I actually needed it at the cost of two extra interplaner trips' worth of planar energy.

After Agate found the AAPV, she went to investigate what felt like unusual mana clusters she noticed underneath the floating island.

That led to the discovery of the massive windstone deposits buried inside the earth, and Agate dug her way in until she could experiment with their mana.

I vaguely remembered from the little I knew of the story something about windstones powering airships and being the reason that Albion floated, but didn't know much more about it.

Nevertheless, Agate experimented and found that she could use them.

'_It's a bit like jewelcraft. Although we don't have the mystery for imbuing or manipulating jewels with spells or prana, if it's a naturally forming source without an enchantment, extracting the pure mana should be easy. It's not that much different from drawing the greater source of the environment into our magic circuits, except we focus on the mana deposit in the windstones_,' she informed me.

Although Agate didn't have a true soul, she had high quality magic circuits formed from pseudo-spiritrons, which is why she could do this experiment independently from me. In fact she had much more prana to spare compared to me and my one trash tier artificial circuit, even accounting for all the prana that went into maintaining her core functions.

'_Theoretically, because the stones have wind element mana, we could use them to cast wind spells without having the affinity ourselves, at least for spells based on our own thaumaturgical system, not the ones the Halkegenians use. We'd have to create the mystery ourselves, but I thought it wouldn't be very hard. The stones already have an effect without being part of a spell—we can build off of that, without having to manipulate the mana from scratch,_' she said.

'_Any luck so far?_' I asked.

She was still there, flying around with several wind stones attached.

'_Only a little. I've only managed to figure out how to use the stones to float if I have one attached to me, but it's not very efficient yet. I have to levitate the stone to keep it attached to me, which costs almost as much as levitating myself directly. The net gain is too small, and I can't use it to generate propulsion yet, so if I actually fly with it, the gain turns into a small loss instead when I have to propel both myself and the stone.'_

Agate wasn't the only one busy while I was asleep, however. The Offensive Bias instance I kept with me wirelessly controlled a small humanoid robot to finish optically scanning the books Louise lent me into electronic storage.

After I was up to speed with Agate and Offensive Bias' activities, I retrieved the robot, storing it within one of my armour's many flexible compartments, and headed towards the dining hall.

Last night, I spent some time making adjustments to my Armoriont armour, completely revamping the shape and texture.

When I first arrived, there hadn't been enough time to do more than minor adjustments like the coloration, leaving it as a contiguous and smooth pearlescent crystalline full-body armour. Cellulose nanocrystals were the primary material the Armoriont was composed of, so that was its default appearance. However, it was possible with some time and effort to substantially change the appearance to mimic other substances, or even change the actual composition by absorbing and reprocessing biomass or metals.

While it couldn't easily mimic metal, I could still transform it into something a bit closer to local styles and still provide adequate protection. Something that without close observation or specialized expertise, might be seen as merely the eccentric attire of a high ranking noble rather than something clearly unnatural or foreign to all of Halkegenia.

Portraits and pictures of local knights showed that they typically wore light armor in the form of cuirasses with minimal limb plating, steel greaves and leather or fabric for the rest.

It took several hours to make all the new adjustments, but most of it was done automatically by my Armoriont as I slept after I developed the design for the outer layers.

The result was something inspired by fantasy dragon scale mail, using gleaming golden scales similar to but more resplendent than the texture of the blue dragon familiar I'd observed on campus. An opening on my helmet would allow me to eat with the locals, but my eyes were still covered by my visor which now functioned as a one-way mirror.

A crystal shield plate was affixed to the front of my utility belt, depicting a kaleidoscopic spiral sure to give anyone headaches with its intense iridescence and optical illusion of moving, with a physical golden crown on top and two dragon supporters on the sides to form a heraldic coat of arms.

I left two high shoulder guards in the silver crystalline form, underneath which I had grown a two-piece red cloak, because all nobles wore cloaks around here.

The cloak pieces' outer layer was red silk, but the underside was more of the silver crystalline cellulose with more of a membranous texture, and the cloak itself was very thick.

That was because they had the secondary purpose of serving as wings. The base of the wings protruded from my back, but the cloak and shoulder guards hid most of the wings from view, disguising the visible area as part of the cloak, so that it would appear as though the cloak was a magical artifact instead of a biological appendage.

I strode into the dining hall and found it already packed with students, most of whom turned and stared as soon as they noticed me. My enhanced hearing allowed me to hear them whisper and speculate about whether I was a new teacher.

"…no way, he looks too powerful to be just a teacher…"

"…that coat of arms looks foreign…and they make my eyes hurt…"

"…must be worth more than a castle…"

"…could it be that noble who was summoned by the Zero's failed familiar ritual yesterday?"

A brisk walk led me to the staff table, where I was met with some confusion and wariness until I greeted the Headmaster Osmond and professor Colbert with a friendly wave.

"Good morning, headmaster Osmond, professor Colbert. I must admit I am impressed with the accommodations I've had the pleasure of taking advantage of so far. It does the Academy great credit to treat its guests with such dignity."

"Ah…is that you, Lord Axion? Good morning to you as well. Forgive this old man for not recognizing you right away. You look very dashing in that splendid armour. Even a king would be envious to own a piece so stunningly majestic. A work of art, that is," said Osmond.

"Oh my, that can't be native to Halkegenia. It looks a bit like dragon scale but I've never seen any so reflective. Where were you keeping all of that yesterday? Do you have a method of storing items in very small spaces? Or perhaps a spell of shrinking? That would be truly marvelous. And how can you see out of that?" Colbert asked in quick succession as he stood up to examine my armour.

"Jean, exciting as it may be, you are being impolite to our guest. Please have a seat and join us, Lord Axion," said Osmond.

Colbert hastily apologized and I took a seat beside him with a disarming smile.

Colbert proceeded to introduce me to his colleagues as people continued to stream into the dining hall.

When the food was served, I joined them in the local custom of pre-meal rites to the Founder.

As far as I could remember, none of these people were important to the plot, but it wouldn't hurt to socialize a little bit, which was mostly me answering their curious questions.

In a civilization without advanced entertainment technologies, people took great joy in hearing the tales of faraway travelers. It was true historically on my Earth, and it seems that was the case here too.

I indulged them with vague descriptions of some common household technologies like cars and microwaves, stories of heroes battling against evil mages and monsters, and accounts of my personal heroics.

It wasn't long before breakfast was over and everyone began leaving the dining hall to start their classes.

Louise was just about to leave with a sulking Saito who hadn't partaken in the nobles' meal when I intercepted and waved them over with a call of their names.

They looked confused for a moment, until I clarified who I was. I told Louise that I was done with her textbooks and the two followed me to my room to pick them up.

As they departed for class, Saito was given the role of book mule.

Saito stayed back and complained. "Do I really need to follow her around the whole day?"

"That's your job as my familiar!" Louise cut in when she noticed he wasn't moving.

"But I'm so tired…I barely got any sleep yesterday. I don't know how I'm gonna survive sleeping on a pile of straws every day."

I gave Louise a disapproving frown. "Did you really make him sleep on hay like an animal?"

She looked down with embarrassment. "I wasn't expecting to have a human familiar, so I didn't have a bed prepared for him."

"Well, you'd better find a solution soon. If your familiar is too tired because you aren't taking care of him properly, he won't be able to perform his job, and you'll have nobody to blame but yourself for it."

"Yes, I understand, sir Axion. I'll talk to the headmaster about getting an extra bed," said Louise with a sigh.

I nodded then turned to Saito.

"If you're feeling tired, just sleep in the classrooms. You're not a student so the teachers can't tell you off."

"Oh, that's true! Hehe…I can be a delinquent and not get into trouble!"


	8. 8 - Ancient Sword

**8 – Ancient Sword**

Compared to Agate which could fly by herself at about 800 km/h omnidirectionally, I flew much slower at about 100 km/h relative to the ground, with potential to perform maneuvers mid-air up to 250km/h on diving. All in all, it was similar to the dragons of Halkegenia, though still faster than Agate dragging me along with her flight spell.

I reached the capital city Tristania in less than ten minutes flying leisurely from the Academy.

As Osmond told me, travel controls were lax. The guard at the gate didn't do anything except stare at my landing and quickly bow his head as I walked past.

It was early in the morning and few people were on the streets, but I still got quite a few stares from the commoners who quickly lowered their eyes when I turned to them.

I walked around quickly following signs to the market district, going into various weapon shops.

After two hours of fruitless searching, I found another shop with a sword icon on its sign in a narrow street with a revolting stench from piles of trash. Could this really be the one Louise had gone to in canon? It seemed far too sketchy for her but none of the ones in more reputable areas seemed to have the item I was looking for.

But with no other choice, I pressed on.

People hanging about in the area fled on sight of me.

The shopkeeper who was smoking a pipe took one glance at me, grew fearful eyes and bowed immediately.

"My lord! All of my wares are real and reasonably priced! There's nothing criminal here!"

"I'm not here for an inspection," I said, looking around the darkly lit shop carefully.

I searched carefully with my prana sense, walking around to the shelves and piles of disorganized weapons.

"I'm looking for a sword," I said.

"Oh...a noble buying a sword, that's strange…oh! Forgive me, I mean no offense, sir," he said.

"Hm…" I ignored his comment and continued to walk around, examining each sword. They generally looked to be decent quality despite the shop's location, but I wasn't looking for just any sword. There was a specific one I wanted, but unfortunately I didn't know what physical features to look for. None had the telltale signs of being enchanted.

Was it because it wasn't here, my prana sense wasn't good enough, or it had to be active for me to sense it?

Even though I was a beginner at it, it had seemed so simple to sense magical enchantments at the school.

It hadn't revealed itself by talking in any of the other stores either.

This was the last shop in the city. If I couldn't find it, I might have to resort to using Structural Grasp on every sword in every shop.

"My lord, would you like my assistance in picking the right sword?"

"It is not the wielder that chooses the sword. It is the _sword_ that chooses the wielder," I said solemnly.

"Well said, my friend. Come closer and let me see you…" A disembodied voice called out.

My head turned with the full force of my excitement.

"I'm right here," it spoke again. I traced the voice to one particular rusty longsword.

Taking the handle and holding it in front of me, I examined it in closer detail. It was thin, had frayed edges, and didn't feel well balanced.

"I am the great Derflinger. Remember that name."

"You look like you've seen better days, Derflinger," I said.

"You try staying alive for six thousand years. I'm sure you'd look a lot worse than me."

"Perhaps. But there's no need to stay that way. I'll restore you to a better condition."

"Talking as if I've already accepted you? If you want to wield me, you'll have to prove you're worthy!"

I took a stance in the open space at the middle of the shop, and rapidly unleashed a series of strikes, using the sword mastery I obtained through Cranial's skill-transfer tech in Worm.

"How's that?" I asked once I finished.

"Not bad…but I've seen better."

Was it testing me because I didn't have the Gandalfr runes? I didn't remember anything about a test when Saito bought it in canon.

"Well then, how about this?" I channeled prana into the sword and Reinforced it.

"Eh? What's this?"

Over the course of half a minute, prana went into the sword and filled the gaps in its imperfection. Without Agate, my Reinforcement was horrendously slow, but I should be grateful that it worked at all. Apparently whatever Derflinger was, it didn't count as being enchanted enough to have Magic Resistance, or maybe it was because it was intelligent and gave me consent.

"Ooh…I feel great! Nobody's ever done that before! Buy me now!"

I turned to the dumbfounded shopkeeper and asked, "How much for this sword?"

"…It's a rare talking sword so 500 écu," he said, quickly schooling his expression.

After checking out all the other weapon shops, I knew his price was way above the 150 écu market price for a decent longsword.

"Preposterous. You had this lying in a pile of junk. If it was attractive to any other customer, you'd be hanging it on a display. You obviously didn't think it was worth much before I came along, and now that Derflinger has chosen me, it won't let you sell it to any other buyer anyway."

His face contorted unpleasantly.

"Hah! He's got you there, you old bastard! That's what you get for always complaining about me! If you don't sell me to him, I'll really start scaring away your other customers!"

"Considering the rust and damage, I'll pay 50 écu to take this sword off your hands."

The shopkeeper moaned painfully. "Please, sir, have mercy. I need to get back what I paid for it at least. 100 écu?"

I decided not to make his life difficult and agreed. I had no pressing need for money and even if I did I wouldn't miss the 50 extra écu—getting this sword as fast as possible was the main reason I asked Louise to pay me tuition in gold in the first place.

On the way back to the Academy, I took the opportunity to talk to my new sentient sword that was now attached to my hip via a newly grown dedicated holding section on my utility belt, and a tendril extended to pull the sword out of its scabbard slightly so that Derf could talk.

"What is this?" It asked. "Are you some kind of shapeshifter?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. So Derflinger, six thousand years is a very long time to be alive, you must have learned and seen many things."

"Sure have. Over the years, I've been fighting in wars half the time and collecting dust during the other half. I've had more wielders than I care to remember, but you're pretty different from any other one I've met! Oh! And I don't even know your name yet, partner!"

"I'm going by Axion right now, but my friends call me Kaleidus."

"No last name?"

"I had one once, and a name given to me by others, but it doesn't matter anymore. I've chosen a name for myself to hold my destiny in my own hands. Also, names have power, and I'm wary of anyone that might be able to use my original name to attack me magically. I suppose you could call me Kaleidus Axion."

"I'd say you're being paranoid, but I've never seen magic like yours so maybe you're right."

"Is Derflinger really your name? Who named you?"

"I don't know. Can't remember anymore, it's been too long. You can just call me Derf, it's easier."

"Alright Derf. Do you care what your wielder does? If we're going to be partners, I'd like to know if you'll object to anything I do."

"If you put me in a dark corner and forget about me, I'm not going to stay there to collect dust."

"What if I suddenly started massacring innocent people?"

"Hah! I've had more than one wielder that did that, partner. You planning on starting a massacre?"

"I don't have a reason to do that anytime soon. Just wanted to know if you care about things like good and evil."

"It doesn't matter to me. Just don't get yourself killed."

"So you don't have a true purpose or anything like that?"

"If I knew the meaning of life, you'd have found me being worshipped in a temple to Saint Derflinger the Wise."

"Right...what about your powers? Can you do anything special besides talking? Something that can help in a fight?"

"Yes, I can scream their ears off if my taunts just aren't cutting it."

"...I can see it already, Derf. Our war cries will strike fear into the hearts of all our enemies. But seriously, you're a magic sword. Don't you have any magical abilities, special attacks, that sort of thing?"

"Eh…let me think. Huh…oh! I can absorb magic! Use me to block a spell and I'll take all that magic in and…uh… I'm sure I can do something with it."

"That's amazing! What about golems or other constructs of magic? Or enchantments? Can you cut through and absorb them too?"

"Sure can. It's harder to absorb magic from something that's solid or harder than me though. Much easier to absorb fire or wind spells."

"Still pretty amazing. Make sure to tell me if you remember any more powers. Losing because we didn't know we had an option would be terrible."

"Don't worry, if you're about to die, I'll suddenly remember a secret power and turn the tables. That's how these things work. Dramatic tension and all that."

"I think that only happens in stories, Derf."

"Like the ones the bards sing about the Great Derflinger, yeah. It's alright, you're still young and inexperienced but stick around me and you'll learn the tricks of the trade. If you work hard, I'll let you star in my next legend."

"..."

"I know, it's hard to believe the Great Derflinger would give a newbie like you that kind of opportunity. But in my old age, I've come to appreciate the joy of nurturing the young'uns."

"...okay, it was a little funny before but now you just sound creepy, Derf."

"Aww...aren't you just a precocious wittle thing? They grow up so fast..."

My Armoriont tendril pushed the sword back into its sheath and waited for a few seconds before pulling it back up.

"Sheesh! I'm just having a little fun after being stuck in a pile of rust for ages."

"I can take a joke, Derf, but do you really need to crack one every other sentence? I still have important questions."

"Fine. I'll stop. What do you wanna know?"

"Since you've been alive so long, do you know anything about the lost Void magic?"

"Void magic…that sounds familiar."

"Does Gandalfr ring a bell?"

"Yes, it does, actually. I've been calling them users for centuries, and you just reminded me of what they're actually called. Why do you ask? You're not a Gandalfr. Have you met one?"

"I have. I've taken on a new Gandalfr and his Void mage as students, but I don't know all that much about them. I was hoping you would have the answers to some things I'm curious about."

"Well, the Gandalfr can fight with any kind of weapon, and they're physically stronger and faster when they're using their power. That's pretty much all there is to it."

"Do you know how their magic works? Is there a way to grant the powers of Gandalfr to somebody else that's not a Void familiar?"

"No idea."

"What about what happens to their powers when their master dies?"

"Nothing. They don't lose their powers if that's what you're asking. If a new Void mage is born after that, and they summon a Gandalfr, it'll be the same familiar unless it dies first."

"And if the Gandalfr dies while under contract, the master can just summon a new one, right?"

"Yup."

"Can one person have more than one set of Void familiar runes? Like being Gandalfr and one of the other three that I can't remember the name of."

"They can. They can be all four. I'm starting to remember something…right! The first Void familiar had all four powers."

"Who was it?"

"Don't remember."

"What happens if you break? Do you need some special way to be reforged or repaired, or can you be repaired like a normal sword?"

"If I break, you can repair or reforge the sword. Or I can move to another sword. Takes a few days but I'll be fine."

"Can you move even if you don't break? I think such a powerful sword spirit should have a better vessel than this. And can you move into things other than swords?"

"Sure. Spears, axes, daggers, whatever, as long as it's a weapon. If it's not alive and has no mind, I can move into it. But I like being a sword and take my advice, I'm better as a sword than anything else."

"What about my armour? It can be used as a weapon."

"Huh? What armour?"

I showed Derf the fake glove on my hand and had the Armoriont shift until a layer of skin was visible, then move back and grow hard protrusions on my knuckles. Technically the skin was still part of my Armoriont—or rather, when fully integrated, my Armoriont, bionanite swarm, and I all functioned as one being. My skin and muscles could be converted into other Armoriont parts and vice versa as I needed.

"Meet my Armoriont. This is how I can shapeshift. It's a special armour that works like a second skin for me. It's connected to my mind, but I could detach an outer shell and let you occupy it."

"Woah! Never seen that before. So this is your secret. You were thinking of letting me be your armour to absorb all incoming spells, right? Not a bad idea. But, it's alive so I can't move into it. I'd love to be able to change shape like that."

"That's unfortunate…you'd be a lot less useful as a sword. If you're only as strong as steel, you'd break long before my armour gets a scratch, so I'd fare better in a melee just using my Armoriont to punch or kick instead. You're much more useful as a defense against magical attacks than a weapon."

"Just how strong is that thing?"

"I'd guess at least ten times stronger and tougher than the average unenchanted steel, maybe more. Resistant to cutting, piercing, blunt damage, muskets, heat, and a lot more. It also regenerates from damage and makes me a lot stronger and faster."

"Well damn. I'm feeling jealous. But you just reminded me. I can make you stronger and faster too. The more magic I absorb, the more power I have to make you stronger, or make myself sharper and tougher. I can even release the magic as a ranged attack! This effect works best when I'm a sword, and with enough magic power I could probably even cut your armour."

"Oh? That's useful. Is there a limit to how much magic you can absorb?"

"There is, but I've never reached it."

"Any way to increase the limit?"

"I'm sure there is, but I don't remember. You won't need it anyway, unless you're fighting an army of mages."

"Doesn't hurt to be prepared. What about the speed you absorb magic at?"

"It'll take longer for bigger and more powerful spells. Don't try swinging me at a Square-class spell unless you're prepared to get hit anyways."

"Any way to speed it up?"

"Same way as increasing the limit. The bigger my limit, the faster I can absorb magic. Still don't remember how."

As I got close to the Academy, I noticed a commotion in the courtyard, and quickly spotted Saito getting beaten up by a bronze female golem.

His face was bleeding and he was struggling back to his feet. The golem punched him again and he fell once more, only to get up and get kicked tumbling. The cycle of rising, getting hit, and falling again repeated several times, until he couldn't get up anymore and Louise was kneeling over him crying.

Now then…should I interfere?

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /


	9. 9 - A Lesson in Nobility

"Derf, our first legend is about to begin. I will do my best to make it a performance worthy of the Great Derflinger. As your junior, please take care of me."

"Give me some more of that magic like you did before, and I'll consider it. Can't work on an empty stomach."

**9 – A Lesson in Nobility**

**[Interlude]**

The golden armoured mage swooped in to a cacophony of cries as the crowd of students backed away.

He landed with a heavy thud, cracking the ground.

Guiche watched cautiously as the man positioned himself directly between his bronze Valkyrie and the commoner boy.

_A wind mage too? That landing was way too fast and hard to be levitation, _the blonde son of General Gramont thought.

Many students had seen the foreign mage sitting at the staff table, and asked their teachers about him during class.

Ms. Chevreuse had told them Lord Axion was staying as a guest at the school. She'd also told them quite enthusiastically that the man was a renowned hero in his homeland.

That the golden armour he wore was made from the nigh invincible scales and bones of an enormous evil dragon he'd defeated. A dragon that whole armies of elite mages had no luck against, who for decades had laid waste to entire cities and whose fire breath was hot enough to melt steel in an instant.

She had proudly said that an ingenious application of Earth magic had been key to his victory. A highly complicated transmutation of tiny destructive grains of dust that attacked the dragon from the inside out, getting around the invincible scales when the dragon tried to breathe fire and the dust went in through its nostrils.

It was like a story out of a fairytale. The hero kills the monster, saving the people and taking his rightful spoils. It was the kind of story every boy dreamed of imitating.

What would such a mighty hero think about the duel they were having?

Technically Guiche hadn't broken any rules, but if a teacher came by he'd probably still get in trouble.

"What's going on here?" Lord Axion asked. "What is your name, and why have you attacked my student's familiar?"

A mass of whispers broke out among the crowd of students.

His _student_? How could he take Louise the Zero as a student? It was too unfair! Anybody would have been more worthy than that failure. Guiche himself, for example. Still, he kept a lid on his indignation to answer the question.

"Sir, my name is Guiche de Gramont. That commoner insulted me and I offered him a duel to teach him a lesson about respect, a duel he accepted," Guiche said.

Lord Axion turned to the little Vallière. "Is that true, Louise? Saito insulted this boy? And agreed to a duel?"

"Y-yes, Sir Axion," she answered in a shaky voice. "I-I t-tried to stop him, but he w-wouldn't listen! I told him that it was impossible for a commoner to fight a noble, and now he's…he's…"

She sniffed while her tears returned to her puffy eyes.

"…don't write me off yet, I'm just catching my breath." The commoner struggled to rise yet again. An admirable perseverance, but it was meaningless. _I shouldn't drag it out any longer,_ Guiche thought.

Louise looked relieved that he was still moving, but then shouted, "Stop! Can't you see you can't win? You're my familiar, understand? I won't forgive you for any more stupid acts."

"If he wants to continue, I shall oblige," Guiche said with a smile. "That is, if Sir Axion would step aside and allow us to finish this honorable duel? Otherwise, if the commoner is willing to apologize, I am willing to forgive him, and we can be done with it."

"Honorable duel? Pathetic worm. What honor is won by striking down a powerless and unarmed commoner who cannot fight back?" The hero's voice thundered over the Vestri court, getting a flinch from Guiche. "This is nothing more than bullying the weak. Let us see how you do in a fair fight."

Guiche watched with a sinking feeling as the man drew his sword slowly. Did the man mean to fight Guiche himself?

"This is a sword that has been my partner through many years. Unfortunately, it has been a very long time since I've had an opponent worthy of facing its power…during that time, it has grown hungry for battle."

Then he threw it into the ground beside the commoner, which caused Louise to jump back in fright with a yelp, and Guiche to let out a breath in relief.

"Hiraga Saito! You were a fool to fight an opponent you knew nothing of. However, I will allow you a chance to redeem yourself. That sword has the power to destroy magic. Now get up and prove your worth as my student's familiar!"

The sword didn't look impressive—a bit beaten and weathered, if Guiche's eyes didn't deceive him. But if Lord Axion's words were true, then it couldn't be underestimated.

Then sweat gathered on his face and hands as what he was up against sank in. _My magic will be useless? How can I even fight against something like that?!_

Saito grabbed the handle with his unbroken left hand, and the runes on the back of his hand began to glow.

"Hah...! What's this? It's like the pain just disappeared! I feel so powerful! Just what kind of crazy sword is this?" He straightened up with a mad grin, to Guiche's shock.

"It's Lord Derflinger to you, boy!"

Saito looked at the sword in his hand flabbergasted. "Did the sword just talk?"

"What, never seen a talking sword before? If you want my help, then you'd better show some respect. I am the sword that killed a god! I am the legendary Derflinger, destroyer of armies, herald of the end! Now ask for my help properly."

"A-Amazing! Please help me win this fight, Derflinger-sama!"

"Humph! Not like that! Hold me toward the sky and repeat after me. _O' Lord Derflinger the Great, spirit of the sword, please grant me victory!_"

"Un! O' Lord Derflinger the Great, spirit of the sword, please grant me victory!" Saito yelled with the sword held high.

"Heh, you're a user, so I guess I can help you out. Release: One Percent Power! HAAA!" The sword glowed slightly, then Saito's whole body glowed with it and he felt even more powerful than before.

_It even talks…of course it talks…erases pain and destroys magic…the legendary sword of a famous dragon slaying hero…I'm doomed!_ Guiche watched the scene in horror.

He stepped back shakily as oohs and awes broke out among the crowd. "W-wait a minute. How is it fair if you give him a legendary sword to fight with?!"

"Oh, so when you had the unfair advantage of magic over your powerless opponent, it was an honorable duel, but now that your opponent has an advantage you don't, it's unfair? Coward. The commoner boy you looked down on at least had the courage to fight against the odds," said the hero.

The words cut deep. For a commoner to be considered better than him, it was unthinkable.

Yet in that moment, he couldn't deny it.

_I…am a coward_.

"All you have to do is make sure the sword doesn't touch your spells. Do you have so little confidence in your skills?" Lord Axion stepped aside from the field of battle and crossed his arms scornfully.

He made it sound easy, but the weight of the challenge pressed down on Guiche like a mountain. For the sword to not touch any of his spells, his golems would have to dodge every single strike.

It was impossible.

Even if Guiche himself fought, it was impossible. No—that was wrong.

It wasn't like he was stronger than his Valkyries. He had always used the bronze golems because he didn't want to risk his own body to fight. That was the whole purpose of the Gramont way of fighting. The way of an officer, a general.

To command armies of golems and overwhelm the enemy.

And now…a single sword would render all his training meaningless.

Saito moved the sword down until it was pointing at Guiche. "I don't mind being a familiar…I don't mind sleeping on the floor…I don't care if the food sucks…washing underwear, I'll do that too. I don't really have a choice, being stuck in this world. But I won't let two-timing scum like you look down on me! I may not have any fancy titles or magic, but all you ego-inflated brats sure as hell aren't any better than me! My name is Hiraga Saito, and I won't bow to anyone against my will!"

With a grand yell, the angry commoner shot forward.

The bronze Valkyrie barely had time to react before it was slashed into two halves. His beautiful golem, the fruits of painstaking hours of work, destroyed in an instant. Guiche moaned in torment as if he physically felt the cut.

"Aw, yeah!" Saito annihilated the still standing bottom half of the Valkyrie in his excitement and started laughing. The broken golem transformed back into torn pieces of a rose petal.

Then he charged at Guiche himself, who hastily waved his rose wand.

Six new golems appeared and sprang at Saito.

However, it was useless. Five of the golems were cut down so fast that the other students barely saw the action.

The last golem tried to run back to protect Guiche, but it too fell into pieces and a kick to Guiche's face sent him sprawling.

Derflinger struck into the ground beside Guiche's cowering head.

"You want to continue?" Saito asked.

Guiche shook his head furiously. "I yield!"

The gathered students all had stunned faces at the sudden turn of events.

Saito pulled the sword out with a look of awe. "Only one percent power did this much…"

"That's all your body can handle, kid."

"Thanks, Derflinger."

"That's _Lord_ Derflinger to you!"

Saito walked over to Lord Axion with a lopsided smile, holding up the sword for him to take. "Thanks, sir Axion."

"Careful, kid, even if it doesn't feel like it, you're still injured and it's going to hit you hard once you let go of me," said Derflinger.

"You did well, Saito," said Axion with a nod and he sheathed the sword.

Saito began swaying on his legs.

"Saito!" Louise shouted and ran to try and support him, but Saito toppled over first.

"Don't worry, he's fine, just tired," Axion said while Louise shook him.

"Why did you make him fight?!" She glared at her teacher angrily.

"He would have done it anyway. I merely gave him the means to win."

"But, you could have stopped him!"

"If I stopped him, I might have saved him some bodily pain, but I would have killed his spirit. It may be difficult for you to understand Louise, but Saito's not like the commoners of this world. Where he came from, there are no nobles. That's why he had to see this fight to the end."

"He said that before…but I don't get it! How can there be no nobles? And why does that have anything to do with him fighting Guiche?"

"You still don't understand? There are no nobles on his world because they were corrupt and abused their power, so the commoners rose up in revolution and killed them all for their hubris and tyranny! Something similar happened on my world long ago too, even though it didn't end in quite the same way."

"Killed…?" Louise whispered with horrified eyes. Gasps of shock resounded among the still watching crowd.

"For someone like Saito, he would prefer to die on his feet than to live on his knees! That's why he had to fight that battle, even if it meant risking his life. To him, it was not just a duel over a petty insult…he fought because he had something to prove! That even in another world, even if he's your familiar now, no matter how much he's lost, he still retains his pride and dignity as a free man!"

"Pride and dignity…for something like that…Saito, you idiot…how can it be worth dying for?" Louise asked with a hollow tone.

Lord Axion walked over to Guiche next. The foreign lord gazed down at the boy sitting in a daze with his legs sprawled.

"As for you, Guiche, even if you had won this duel, do you think you would have won any honor? Would those maidens you wronged forgive you just because you showed yourself willing to step on the powerless?"

"No…" He admitted with his head lowered in shame. He had simply wanted to take out some frustration. There was no way Montmorency or Katie would ever forgive him.

"Then let this be a lesson to you, Guiche of house Gramont! Nobility does not come from magic alone, nor is it simply a status given by birth! Nobility is an _honour_—earned from the valorous deeds of your ancestors! Nobility is an _ideal_—to uphold justice, act with virtue, and hold yourself to a higher standard! Nobility is a _pledge_—of service to a just Crown and to the subjects under the Crown's protection! To be a noble means to be an icon for your people, that they may look upon with admiration and say 'This is a person worth following, this is a person worthy of my loyalty!'"

As the hero's words echoed out, something stirred within all those watching.

It was a message that resonated deep in their hearts.

Memories of a glorious past, written in the history books.

Stories passed down from their families since the ancient times of the Founder.

Ideas which were taught to them since they were but children, at home and in school, yet never witnessed in person, never understood in full.

To many of them, the man in radiant golden armour—with a legendary sword at his side, speaking with such strength and conviction about the meaning of nobility—truly seemed like a hero out of the old legends.

One who embodied the concept of _nobility_ with every fibre of his being, in his words, actions, and even sheer presence.

Unconsciously, many of them stood straighter and their postures stiffened as if afraid to appear inadequate before him.

"If you stain that honour by bullying the weak, if you abandon that ideal by indulging in vice, if you betray that pledge by abusing your status for despicable ends, then you are not a noble, but a corrupt tyrant, and a disgrace to your ancestors who accepted the oathbound duties of peerage!"

To Guiche, these words struck a greater blow than any physical blade.

Nobility. The source of their pride and glory. That beautiful ideal upon which the Kingdom was founded. How could he not know of it?

He was the son of General Gramont. The latest in a long line of proud nobles that served the Crown loyally and defended Tristain from any invaders.

Every son in the family aspired to join the military and achieve greatness, and just like his brothers, he was no exception to that tradition.

And today he had been found wanting.

"That's…right. I'm a…disgrace...to the name Gramont," he said quietly as tears gathered in his eyes. "By my…dishonorable deeds today…I've lost any right to call myself a noble."

"If you want any chance of regaining the honour you lost here, then remember this day. Remember my words. And above all, remember the humility you just showed by admitting to your failures."

With those final words, the hero turned and left with Louise, who had been joined by several other students helping to levitate Saito.

Guiche saw that Montmorency and Katie were among them, and felt the urge to act.

"Montmorency! Katie!" He shouted. "I am sorry! What I did was despicable! I shouldn't have toyed with your hearts like that!"

The two of them looked at each other, then turned to Guiche.

"I won't forgive you so easily!" Montmorency shouted back.

"Me neither!" Katie shouted.

"I know! I don't deserve forgiveness, but you deserve my apology!" He said sincerely.

The two girls grumbled and turned back around.

"Louise Vallière, when your familiar wakes up, please tell him, I'm sorry!"

"You can tell him yourself!" Louise shouted back without even looking at him in a still angry tone.

As the group got further away, the rest of the students began to scatter as well.

Guiche slowly stood up. His eyes were still locked on the retreating back of the foreign lord.

As he stared at the red cape billowing in the wind and the golden armour shining with the reflected light of the sun, Guiche came to a realization.

_A person worth following…so that's what a true noble looks like...such radiance…truly, a rose—nay, a star that shines its light upon all, sharing the glory of its majesty! _

He shouted once again with all the power of his lungs. "Lord Axion!"

The hero stopped and turned his head back.

Guiche kneeled on one knee, and put his wand over his heart.

"Thank you! Your words! I will take them to heart, and never forget! From this day forward, I, Guiche de Gramont, shall commit to the true path of nobility!"

There was only a small nod of acknowledgement, but for Guiche, it was enough confirmation that he had taken the first step on the right path.


	10. 10 - Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt

**10 – Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt**

**[Interlude]**

While the duel in the Vestri court took place, a number of people were observing from hidden positions.

The young secretary, Miss Longueville, looked down from a hallway window close to the academy vault.

A troubled expression crossed her face as she witnessed the commoner overwhelm the young earth mage with the sword of the foreign lord.

Using a minor wind spell, she had heard clearly what words were exchanged. An anti-magic sword that crushed a dot earth mage with only one percent of its power. Its master who seemed to be one of those insufferable idealists with the power to back up their foolishness.

_Why did someone like that have to appear…?_

The boy was nothing impressive, even if he was a dot mage, though he should have been more than a match for any commoner. There were differences in skill between mages, even aside from the simple polygonal rating. She herself was 'only' a triangle class Earth mage, but compared to that sycophant Chevreuse who took pride in showing off the parlor trick of transmuting lead into brass, Longueville was in a completely different league.

There was a reason she was the most feared Earth mage in all of Tristain, and why she had the epithet of 'Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt'. The fact that she couldn't stack the final fourth element layer didn't mean that she couldn't combine other elements to achieve feats of Earth far beyond what a simple Earth-Earth-Earth mage could accomplish. Her ingenuity and experience was the reason she had been daring enough to attempt this job on the most heavily fortified treasure vault in the entire kingdom.

She glanced at the heavy vault lock. All but impregnable, reinforced with all manner of spells, to the point that even she couldn't easily breach it with her trademark 'spell' of 'crumbling' which was actually several different spells used in succession.

Still, she had found a weakness by seducing it out of the fool Colbert, and was almost ready to make the attempt soon.

The school's security was weak, and the staff even more cowardly. None of them would likely be willing to meet her in battle, even the Square class mages Osmond and Colbert. The fact that none of the staff had been courageous enough to even get near the duel was proof of it. Already, as Osmond's secretary she'd noticed that a mage staff member was theoretically assigned to guard duty every night, but nobody actually stayed up to perform that duty.

But this Lord Axion…

If she stole the Staff of Destruction as she desired, would he mind his own business or come after her because of his ideals? If he did try to play the hero, then she didn't like her chances.

Never had she heard of an anti-magic sword, but an artifact like that had to be just as valuable and powerful as the Staff of Destruction itself. The tactical implications weren't lost on her. How much easier would it have been to complete her other thefts if she could just cut her way through enchantments?

And with her own eyes, she had witnessed the transformation that came over the boy with a mere 'one percent power'. What manner of monster would be unleashed at the full one hundred percent power?

_If it were any other job, I would just give up now but this one…if I fail, then they'll kill Tiffania…_

By the time the Vestri court had emptied of students, she still stood there silently, her face as stony as the walls beside her.

In the headmaster's office, two old men were contemplating the results of the duel as well.

"What amazing speed! Was that really just the power of Lord Axion's sword, or was it Gandalfr? I'm sure I saw the boy's runes glowing," said Colbert.

"Why not both? Would the sword have worked as well for just anyone? It is said that the Gandalfr is a master of all weapons," Osmond said, stroking his beard.

Colbert turned away from the Mirror of Far-Seeing towards the seated headmaster. "Well, it's certainly exciting! I thought the legendary familiar was a big enough surprise, but Lord Axion has proven to be even more mysterious! Ah…I wonder if Lord Axion would let me study that sword…"

"Indeed, Lord Axion is proving to be most interesting. If only he could be persuaded to serve the Crown…it is all too rare to find a noble that pays more than lip service to their feudal obligations these days, despite what we try to teach," said Osmond sighing.

"We should report this to the palace immediately and ask for instructions!" Colbert exclaimed.

"There will be no need for that." Osmond shook his head sternly.

"But Sir Osmond! This could be the discovery of the century! A Gandalfr reborn in the modern world! Not to mention Lord Axion. The palace would definitely be willing to recognize a mage of such power with a title!"

"There is no need for us to hand over young Gandalfr and its master to those fools at the palace. Give them a toy like this and it'll just cause another unnecessary war. Court advisors have far too much free time on their hands and enjoy fighting to a senseless degree."

"Ooh…I see. I apologize for overlooking such matters. Then, what of Lord Axion?"

"That is a delicate matter. There have been unpleasant rumors at court lately…if Lord Axion is truly as powerful as he appears to be, his entry into Tristainian nobility could have dangerous results if handled incorrectly, to say nothing of those who would covet the artifact in his possession. Rather than reporting to the palace, I will take this news directly to the crown princess."

"The princess? Isn't she still a child? I thought the Regent was handling affairs of state."

"Colbert you fool, you should get your head out of your lab sometimes. The princess has been trying to take matters into her own hands for months. It is precisely the Regent I am worried about. The rumors say that he has no intention of returning power to the Crown. Though he never struck me as the ambitious type, it is difficult to discern the true nature of a man who turned down the position of Pope for a mere temporary position as regent in a small kingdom like Tristain."

"That would be treason!" Colbert said with a shocked face.

"Do not speak of this to anyone. I do not know whose support he may have bought already, if the rumors are true."

"Y-yes, I understand!"

A short while later, in the infirmary, Louise sat bemoaning that she didn't have the funds to pay for Saito's full treatment. She would have to change his bandages and apply medicine personally to save on costs.

"Isn't that romantic? Your man is injured and you'll be taking care of him," said Kirche, the red headed fire mage that would always push her buttons.

"He's _not _my man, Zerbst! And there's nothing romantic about it when he wasn't even fighting for me!"

"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if that servant girl steals him away?" Kirche said with a wide grin.

"Wh-what?! What servant girl?" Louise felt a jolt of something she couldn't identify.

"You know, the one that he was with earlier today when the whole thing with Guiche happened. She ran off before the duel, but anybody could see they were quite friendly with each other."

Louise's face turned angry. "How dare he flirt with a girl without my permission! When he wakes up, I'll punish him!"

Kirche laughed as she walked away, her blue haired friend Tabitha trailing silently in her wake.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Kaleidus]**

"Explosion!" The distant tree Louise had targeted instantly blew apart, sending bark shrapnel in every direction.

Louise herself was left gasping for breath, her willpower reserves running low after a series of tests I had her perform.

Around us was a swath of destruction and fallen trees.

"One more time, with Fireball," I ordered.

She nodded and held up her hand again, targeting another tree. "Fireball!"

The ensuing explosion blasted a hole straight through the tree, rending it into two halves, as if a bomb went off in front of it.

"It's just as I thought," I announced while viewing the results with infrared vision. "You can alter the effects of your explosions."

"Huh?"

"I've thoroughly analyzed your spells. So far, whenever you've cast an explosion without spellwork, it just causes an undirected explosion at the first thing in your wand's way. But you were able to create a shaped blast with heat when using the casting spellwork of Fireball. With Earth transmutation, the targeted material exploded into dust with the explosion. With wind, you generated an outburst of air pressure and shockwaves at the tip of your wand. We replicated the effects for each and they were not entirely random. What does this tell you?"

"…that my spells failed in different ways?" She said, eyebrows scrunched in thought.

"That's one way to put it. The spellwork you do as part of the spell, even if it doesn't succeed in the actual spell, changes the nature of the explosion. That means you _are_ able to cast spells. It's your affinity to Void that's changing your spells into something else, and you should be able to refine these effects systematically, by changing the incantation and spell structure. Therefore, we will work on this until you have enough control over your explosions that none can deny your power as a mage."

Her frustration from earlier in the day completely evaporated as her face glowed with anticipation.

"Yes, sir!"

It was too bad Saito wasn't here to see this side of Louise as he was still recovering.

O O O

Eventually Agate came back with some wind stones in tow, and I introduced her to Derf.

"Welcome to the party! I'm Kaleidostick Agate!" She said cheerfully.

"Did your wand just talk?" Derf asked.

"What, never seen a talking wand before?" Agate replied cheekily, using the same words Derf said to Saito.

"…touché. Why, partner, I thought we had something special together! To think you already had someone!" Derf cried mournfully to me.

"Heh, you haven't met Offensive Bias yet, have you? You're actually the _third_ inorganic member of our party," the Kaleidostick said while poking and prodding at the sword.

"As an ancient antique specimen, you are just what I needed to round out my collection," I said, taking out Offensive Bias' robot drone.

"_Greetings, Derflinger. I am the ancilla Offensive Bias. Welcome to the Metarchy. I look forward to an efficient integration of our programs._"

"Gasp! The legendary Derflinger has been reduced to a mere collectible item!"

"Well, Derf, now that you've met, I'll explain what everyone does in this team."

O O O

**[Interlude]**

In the dead of night, a hooded figure ran through the forest with nimble feet, carrying a large metallic object shaped like a tube.

It was Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, who had just stolen the clearly labeled 'Staff of Destruction' from the Academy vault, after breaking in from the outer wall with brute force using one of her strongest golems.

She had sacrificed some rare reagents to reach the level of strength necessary to break past the Square-class hardening spells on the wall, but in the end, she had succeeded.

Unlike her characteristic behavior of leaving behind a note proudly proclaiming that Fouquet had taken the goods, this time she was in a rush to get away.

When she reached the cabin, her temporary hideout, she breathed a sigh of relief. They wouldn't be able to track her through the forest easily.

She could leave now and go to her client, but she wanted to learn the secret of the Staff of Destruction first.

What mage wouldn't be interested in such a powerful artifact? A weapon rumored to be capable of mass destruction that had to be locked away for fear of its might, where even a dot mage could kill a full grown dragon in a single shot with it.

If a mere dot mage could do that much, then in the hands of a Triangle of her calibre, how powerful would it be?

If she could use the power for herself, she might be able to protect Tiffania from her 'client', instead of meekly handing the artifact over.

She cast a cantrip of light and stared at the metal tube. For a staff, it was strangely designed with many parts, and exceptionally smooth. It reminded her a little of a rifle, but she couldn't identify the firing mechanism or trigger.

There had been no instructions for how to use it, so was it to be used like a regular staff? She tried to wave it around and incant some spells, but nothing happened.

After ten minutes of examination and nothing to show for it, she growled in frustration.

"That's a dangerous weapon you've got there," a voice said suddenly from behind her.

Her head whipped around and she brandished the staff towards the source of the voice.

What she saw there was a smirking Axion leaning against a tree with crossed arms.

"Someone could get hurt if you wave it around like that," he said, looking for all the world as if he was perfectly relaxed and she wasn't pointing a weapon of mass destruction at him, even though he clearly knew what she was holding.

"Stay back, or _you_ will get hurt!" She shouted.

"Really? But you're pointing it in the wrong direction. You've got the firing end facing yourself right now," he said, lips widening further.

Her face reddened when her bluff failed.

A quick flick later and her own wand was back in her hand, the Staff now held parallel to her chest in a protective stance.

"Relax, Miss Longueville. I'm not here to arrest you," he said casually, much to her shock. He had seen right through her identity. "Your theft is the Academy's problem, not mine."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "No? So what, you want the Staff for yourself? Otherwise you'll blow my cover? I'm sorry to say that I won't be working at the Academy anymore."

The tense silence that followed had her sweating. Would he attack her for it instead?

Then against all expectations, he laughed mirthfully. "I don't want that thing you call a Staff of Destruction. Something of that level would barely dent my armor…why would I need such a weak weapon?"

The outrageous declaration only increased her anxiety. What could the man possibly want with her, if even the Staff of Destruction was worthless in his eyes?

"Then…what do you want?"

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**A/N: Before anyone says the MC's armor is overpowered, he's bluffing. An anti-tank armor-piercing shaped blast will actually deal serious damage to his armor, even though it wouldn't kill him in one hit.**

**Thanks for all the comments last chapter! Some responses to questions or longer comments in reviews:**

superpierce: Derf's just making things up for fun. But the power he can grant does depend on just how much magic he has access to. So you could call that a limiter.

Reishin Amara: It'll be a mix of both and my own take. I'll be using whatever is more interesting, and the windstone crisis was better IMO.

Lord of Moons: So Derf's physical body isn't actually that old. He's switched quite a few times. MC isn't really capable of making Mystic Codes yet, but he does have plans to get Derf a better body.

Father Chaos: The degradation of noble ideals was a thing in the novels too. But not much was done with it.

Giuseppe: That was the idea! The school is full of impressionable teenagers after all.

Quelthias: I think Kaleidus would argue that he's the better user, haha.


	11. 11 - The Staff of Destruction

**11 – The Staff of Destruction**

"I'd like to offer you a trade. I can tell you how to use the so-called Staff of Destruction. In exchange, I'd like some information in return. You are Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, the most feared thief in all of Tristain, are you not? You must be an expert on rare and powerful artifacts, like the one you're holding," I said, still smirking. "If your information is good, I might have more lucrative trades to offer. I might even hire you. So, are you interested?"

My suggestion seemed to stun her.

"…information on powerful artifacts? Well, you're talking to the right person. Are you looking for anything in particular?" She asked, still in a half-disbelieving tone.

I shrugged. "Why don't you tell me what other items you know of that might be of similar value to the Staff of Destruction? Tell me at least three and I'll tell you the secret to using the Staff of Destruction. If any of them interest me, then tell me where to find it, and I will tell you the Staff of Destruction's weakness."

She considered the offer before nodding. "Three items, right? First, a dagger rumored to be able to talk just like your sword, which can allow its wielder to use all the standard elements regardless of their affinity and cast higher rank spells than they normally could."

If it could let me cast magic, that could be very useful. The problem with talking artifacts though, was that they had a will of their own. Derflinger was easily persuaded to work with me, but the dagger might not be so easy. It'd be on my list of things to check out, but I wouldn't prioritize something that could be useless in the end.

"Second, the Element rings. It is said that the Founder passed down an Element ring to each of the inheritors of his will, who established the three royal families and the line of St. Forsythe. Nobody knows what the rings do, but as something left behind by the Founder, they are definitely valuable. Well, there are four rings, so that's already five items."

"I already knew about the rings." From metaknowledge. I didn't know what they did either, but I remembered it was important for the Void users. "Still, I didn't say that you had to tell me about an item I didn't know, so I'll count it, but only as one item. You'll have to tell me one more."

Fouquet's lips pursed, whether in annoyance or pressure I couldn't tell.

"There is the Founder's Holy Chalice. It is said that water poured in its cup is blessed with the power to break any curse or enchantment."

"A holy chalice? What an interesting coincidence," I said, thinking of the Holy Chalice of another messianic figure.

"Well then, a deal's a deal."

I proceeded to describe how to prepare the staff for firing as she followed the instructions to open the rear cover and pull out the extended inner tube and the telescope sight.

"Careful, there will be a back blast. Very loud too. You need to place it on your shoulders so it doesn't hit you," I warned. "Though if I were you, I wouldn't use it here…"

She followed the instructions and took aim at a nearby tree. "I've got to know if you told me the truth, don't I? I don't care if it attracts attention, I'll be gone soon. Let's see if this works." And she fired, just as I expected. I resisted the temptation to laugh.

A loud thunder came from the staff and a projectile flew out. A terrific explosion ensued as the projectile hit the tree, obliterating it.

When the smoke cleared, the tree had fallen, its bottom half gone, and there was a small crater in the dirt at the base where the broken roots remained.

Smiling in satisfaction, she said, "The Staff of Destruction is indeed powerful."

"Too bad it has a glaring weakness," I said. "If you want to know what it is, tell me where the Holy Chalice is."

With hardly a pause, she answered. It seemed that she was quite eager to learn all about this 'Staff of Destruction'.

"Like many other religious artifacts, it's in Romalia in the possession of the Church. The Holy Chalice, in particular, should be held within the Pope's Palace," she said.

"Hm...thank you, though I really could have found that out quite easily myself, huh? I suppose I'll have to tell you that the Staff of Destruction isn't a magical staff. It has only a single shot, which you just fired. To fire it again, you have to reload and do some maintenance work on it, but I doubt you can find the ammunition it uses anywhere. That weapon wasn't made in Halkegenia, after all. Now it's just a useless piece of junk."

"A single shot…?" Her face went slack. "That…can't be!" She cried desperately with a searching look at me.

"I warned you, if I were you, I wouldn't use it here. You wasted the shot," I said, shrugging.

"No!" She made another strangled cry. She tried to aim it again and pull the trigger, but nothing happened.

She fell to her knees as the Staff clattered to the ground. "No…no…"

At this behavior, I raised an eyebrow that she couldn't see under my visor.

"For the most famous thief in Tristain, you're sure taking this harder than I thought. It's just an item, Fouquet. If you could steal this, you could steal other things just as easily. What's the big deal?"

"You…don't understand! I _need_ the Staff of Destruction! This time was different! It wasn't about the money!"

My curiosity was piqued. I didn't remember there being any greater reason behind the theft than money.

"What do you need it for so badly, then? If it's just a weapon capable of similar destruction, I have plenty. Even more powerful than this M72-LAW. For the right price, I could be convinced to part with them."

Her eyes widened in hope and shock. "You do?"

"Yes. I have portable weapons that can destroy a castle in a single shot, let alone puny explosions of this level," I said, gesturing disdainfully at the crater. "But, obviously, I'll need something of equal value in exchange. So if you were holding anything back earlier, now is the time to come out with it and make me an offer."

There was a long silence as Fouquet didn't move, seemingly considering my words. Slowly, she stood up.

"A magical ring with the power to heal almost any injury, even fatal ones, and revive the very recently dead if you can get to them quick enough," she said. "That's all I have to offer. Is it good enough?"

Now this…this was interesting. My regenerative powers were pretty amazing, but there was nothing wrong with getting more healing powers, especially magical ones. Regeneration did take time and energy, after all, and unlike some Brute powers I couldn't just take biomass from another dimension. If I took severe internal organ damage, I would be out-of-action for hours at the least. Plus, I couldn't heal other people very well with my own powers.

"Can it heal injuries of the brain?"

"Yes, but it wouldn't be perfect. There could be memory loss, and it can't regenerate a brain from nothing."

"I see. Yes, I would be interested in that. Does it have a limited charge?"

"It should have enough left to heal fatal injuries at least twice. It can be recharged, but only a user of spirit magic like the elves can recharge it."

"Oh? Spirit magic? How fascinating," I said. That was the magic of the elves, which was a different system than the human mages of Halkegenia. A little problematic for practical usage considering that humans and elves were religious enemies, but interesting from a research perspective. "Very well. For this ring, I can trade you a weapon comparable to the staff of destruction. Better, really, and I'll even throw in three rounds of ammunition."

It was an easy trade for me. A mere anti-tank weapon was nothing to me. Not only did I have plenty aboard the AAPV, I could also mass manufacture them back on Worm.

"Wait. Can I trade for something else instead?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Weapons, equipment, exotic substances, deadly poisons…there's plenty of possibilities. Shall I list some for you, or do you have anything specific in mind?"

"No, I'm sure you have many things that would be tempting, but what I want is protection," she said.

"Ah. I suppose you want protection from whoever's forcing you to steal the Staff of Destruction?" I had deduced as much from her behavior earlier. If not for money, this theft job must have had something else at stake. A threat of some kind would make sense.

"No, not me, I want you to protect a friend of mine. She's the one that has the ring."

"Hm…protection from who, exactly?" I asked, rubbing my chin for appearances' sake.

"Do you know about the civil war in Albion? About Reconquista?"

Reconquista was a rebel faction of religious fanatics that was the Halkegenian version of the republican faction of the English Civil War. This whole world was like a highly distorted Europe in the Renaissance/Premodern era.

"Yes. Their side is about to win, it seems. So that's your blackmailer?"

But this was quite strange. Her association with Reconquista shouldn't have started until after Wardes broke her out of prison.

"They threatened to kill her if I didn't do their dirty work."

"Aren't you afraid that I could do the same to you, and take the ring by force?"

She took off her hood and tried to look sincere. "You could. But if you were going to do that, there wouldn't be any point trading for anything else either. You could take the ring by force anyway, or renege on the deal, taking back whatever you gave me, and my friend's life is forfeit to Reconquista. At least this way, there's a chance you'll follow through, and I'm sure you'd have a better chance protecting her from them than me, no matter what item I get from you."

I was pretty confident that I was capable of providing the necessary protection, and it wouldn't be too much trouble. A little more involved than just trading away an item, maybe, but I'd buy more goodwill this way.

'I see...well, who is this person that needs protection? Anything special about them that I should know? What is their name?"

"My friend's identity doesn't matter. You don't need to know any more about her. All you have to do is protect her."

"Hm. Helping you isn't out of the question, but I can't be her bodyguard for years on end or however long Reconquista is around, you know? I have things to do, places to be."

"I'll consider it enough if you help me bring her safely out of Albion to Tristain."

I had some plans in mind that would set me against Reconquista anyways, so it wasn't like I'd be making new enemies. Fouquet probably didn't know about it, but the leader of Reconquista, Cromwell, had an artifact of incredible power that also happened to be a ring, perhaps more useful to me than anything else I could get in this world. Cromwell's Ring of Andvari, unlike the healing ring of Fouquet, could raise the dead long past their biological death as undead creatures indistinguishable from their living form under the control of the wielder with all memories intact. It could also take control of living people to an extent.

While it seemed that canon was not entirely reliable given the change to Fouquet's backstory, the Ring of Andvari was a key item that allowed Cromwell to rise to power, I was quite sure he would still have it or something comparable.

Even without that artifact, a country racked by civil war and revolutionary ideas was the perfect place to seize political power, much better than Tristain.

In the end, it came down to a question of whether this excursion was worth the cost of potentially revealing some of my capabilities early, depending on just how much importance Reconquista attached to Fouquet's friend. The real danger was a Myozunitonirun, the Void familiar that was a master of magical artifacts, who was likely to be the one manipulating the civil war behind the scenes.

A prepared Myoz could be much more dangerous than one caught off guard by a blitz straight to her puppet Cromwell.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Agate]**

_Initializing Strategic Intelligence Services…_

_Retrieving Data…_

_**WARNING: Fouquet's backstory contradicts prior metaknowledge. **_

_**NOTICE: Offensive Bias has acquired limited intelligence on Albion. Unverified metaknowledge is now underlined.**_

_Reconquista: A faction within the Albion nobility that rebelled against the royal family for a number of grievances, most prominently the demand to reclaim the Holy Land in Elven territory. The group is led by Oliver Cromwell, a former bishop who was a simple man before Myozonitonirun offered to make him an emperor, as a greater plot by Myozonitonirun's true master. _

_Albion Family: There are only two known survivors, the King and Prince Wales, who is the lover of the Crown princess Henrietta de Tristain. The King is holed up in Newcastle, their last remaining fortress, surrounded by Reconquista forces led by the Lexington super dreadnought airship under the command of Cromwell. The prince disappeared a week ago, and is probably pretending to be a pirate intercepting Reconquista supply imports. _

_Fouquet: A famous thief feared in Tristain for being very talented in both stealing items and fighting off pursuers with massive golems. She was supposed to be captured by Louise and Saito, then rescued by a traitor in Tristain and subsequently initiated into Reconquista. Her true background is unknown._

_Ring of Andvari: An artifact that represents the "Strength of Water", formerly owned by the Water Spirit of Ragdorian Lake, who is attempting to sink the entire continent to reclaim the ring. It was stolen at some point, probably by Myozonitonirun, and given to Cromwell. It can raise the dead in a 'false life' completely under the control of the wielder, with all memories intact and physically indistinguishable from their living form, in addition to forcing the living to do the wielder's bidding. It might even be capable of summoning the original soul back, because in the original story, when Prince Wales was revived with the ring and then the spell got Dispelled, his original soul seemed to be back in the body for the short moment before the body returned to death._

_Myozonitonirun: The Void Familiar known as the "Mind of God", with mastery over magical artifacts. Capable of both utilizing magical artifacts and enchanting new ones, Myozonitonirun is extremely versatile and powerful, and unlike Gandalfr whose power relies on having access to strong weapons, Myozonitonirun can make their own. Their master's identity is currently unknown, but has an interest in propping up Cromwell as the leader of Reconquista, so she is acting as Cromwell's assistant for now._

_Elves and Spirit Magic: In the Brimiric nations of Halkegenia, the elves are widely feared and hated as religious enemies. They are believed to possess incredible magic casting abilities, making one elf the equal of ten or even a hundred mages, according to rumor and historical battle records. There have been many failed crusades to the territory of the elves, which is considered to be the Founder's Holy Land for reasons unclear other than the Founder seemingly bent on claiming it during the later stages of his life. The elves are a long-lived species, and mostly keep to themselves despite their military superiority, but they do hate humans as much as humans hate them. Their spirit magic is entirely different from Halkegenian mages, and not much is known about it, except that it seems to be related to the nature spirits._

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A/N: I have received a general complaint that some prior chapters were difficult to get through for people unfamiliar with FoZ. But I really can't find anything that wasn't explained immediately, except for things the MC isn't sure about either. So if there's anything you are confused about, please let me know explicitly what it is.

In the meantime, I have done another "Intelligence" report by Agate, to expand on new things introduced this chapter.

EDIT: For some reason the underline formatting was lost when uploading a Word doc, but is kept during copy/pasting. So I fixed it, and the report now shows the underlined verified metaknowledge.


	12. 12 - Chaos Wand

**12 – Chaos Wand**

**[Kaleidus]**

"That's true. Well, helping you isn't out of the question, but I can't be her bodyguard for years or however long Reconquista is around, you know? I have things to do, places to be."

I kicked myself away from the tree and walked closer to her, speaking seriously.

"This protection needs to be better defined. What I can do is extract her from Albion to Tristain outside of Reconquista's domain, and you can take over from here. If you want me to remove Reconquista as a threat permanently, that will cost you more than just the ring..."

She shook her head quickly. "That won't be necessary. If you can help me get her to Tristain alive and unharmed, that would be enough. But I need your word that you won't turn against us once you learn who she is, or after we arrive in Tristain. You must leave us in peace once our deal is over."

"I can't give you blanket immunity forever, but I can agree not to betray you on the mission, or target you two specifically after. If you get in my way on your own, if you side with my future enemies, then all bets are off," I said.

For a moment, she hesitated, staring at me. Then she nodded. "Fine."

I chose not to seal the deal with a Geas, and simply shook her hand. In this case, I had little to gain from enforcing a Geas, and it would be difficult to make one that worked effectively. The central component of Geas was consent—specifically to the conditions and the penalty that gave me power over them. In my early experiments with the curse, I had learned that spoken agreement and coerced consent didn't count. Essentially, for a Geas to work, they had to be willing to follow through on the penalty anyways even without a curse enforcing it, and that generally didn't work for business deals.

It was a bit of a catch-22, but where it worked wonders was making sure people couldn't change their minds later, or if they didn't realize the full implications of what they were agreeing to, such as in the case of Saito.

O O O

The next day, there was a path through the forest where it looked like a great battle had taken place.

Many trees were bent and uprooted as if hit by a golem, and others were cut apart cleanly as if a sword had sliced through.

Fouquet had lost the cloak, while her clothes were dishevelled and dirty.

I carried the form of 'Miss Longueville' back to the Academy along with the 'Staff of Destruction'.

When we arrived, there was a crowd of staff members gathered at the Vestri court, looking up at the destroyed wall to the vault.

They cried out in shock as I landed.

Colbert ran over to support and fuss over Miss Longueville as I set her on the ground.

I proceeded to weave a grand tale, starting with Miss Longueville going out for a stroll in the garden last night and noticing the theft. A story of how she came to me for help, believing that only a great hero like me could stop someone as dangerous as Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, who had boasted gleefully to her about stealing the Staff of Destruction before taking off.

The staff were enthralled by the epic chase and battle that ensued.

"Regretfully, I allowed Fouquet to escape in the end, after taking the Staff of Destruction from him, as I believed it too risky to continue fighting Fouquet when Miss Longueville's safety was also at stake, and sealing away this weapon of mass destruction was the highest priority," I said. "It was very wise of Miss Longueville to come to me, for the Staff of Destruction's power is great, and I shudder to think what may have become of anyone who dared to fight Fouquet without my experience and skills."

"I believe you made the right decision, Sir Axion. I witnessed the power of the Staff of Destruction firsthand many years ago, as I saw it kill a full grown dragon with but a single spell," said Osmond.

Once again, the group looked at me with awe.

I handed the rocket launcher to Osmond, then spoke again. "It seems that the Staff has a limited number of uses. Fouquet was only able to use it once. I could not be sure, so I did not take the risk that I was wrong."

"Why, that is definitely possible. I don't know very much about the Staff myself," Osmond said looking over the M72 LAW curiously.

Then he smiled at the gathered teachers. "Nevertheless, this is wonderful news! Isn't it, everyone? No need to blame anyone anymore, for Sir Axion has taken care of the problem for us!"

O O O

Things went back to normal afterward.

The deadline for Fouquet to bring back the Staff of Destruction was still a couple of weeks away. And because our plan now was to extract the target to safety in Tristain, Fouquet had to maintain her job at the school. Additionally, she couldn't let me go to the target by myself, so we decided to schedule the operation for the next Void Day, in less than a week's time.

The days passed quickly as I researched the local magic and trained Louise. I never taught her anything except to give her pointers on how to refine her own existing capabilities, but she was more than satisfied with our lessons, as she'd never gotten that kind of attention from any other teacher.

As her control improved, I introduced the concept of creating new incantations.

"Incantations are not an inherent part of most spells. Unless it's to invoke a specific system, they are just ways for you to help focus your will, a sort of hypnotic device."

"Really? But the school teaches us that they're necessary. Only the strongest mages can cast without them, and even then, they think the incantation in their minds." Although she protested, her eyes were attentive and showed a willingness to accept my teachings.

"Well, to say that they're purely a hypnotic device isn't entirely accurate either. The theory behind this is very complex so I won't go into detail, but over the course of millennia, the incantations that have been passed down have gained [Conceptual Weight] in the magic system through accumulated belief and repeated use. Therefore, by performing the same actions, you are also invoking the [Ritual of Casting the Spell], which makes it far easier to cast. In your case, however, we are essentially inventing new spells personalized to you, therefore using the ancient incantations will only hinder you in the long-run."

I said all this with the utmost seriousness despite not being sure of the theory myself. They were theories from Nasuverse magecraft that may or may not be applicable elsewhere, and controversial among magi even in Nasuverse.

"Then what should I do?"

"Make your own."

"Hah? But…how?" She looked at me dumbly.

"Just think of any words you like, whether in a real language or a made up one, then use it as the incantation. Try to match the length of the incantation to how long it takes for you to mentally focus the spell structure, and give the spells new names."

In the end, she did what I told her to. Even if it was a placebo though, with more practice she got better.

O O O

"Partner, this body is perfect! Perfect!" Derf exclaimed from inside the sword I grew with my Armoriont. It was made of the same cellulose nanocrystal of my armour, but without a nervous system or organized living cell network.

At first, I was a bit hesitant to discard the old sword because of its potential to have high Mystery as an ancient weapon. Mystery was an extremely useful thing that accumulated with age, causing the trope "older is better" to have a basis in reality, at least with magical phenomena. It was a sort of natural magic resistance, and even resistance to physical laws, warping the world.

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed as Derf informed me that he had switched swords every few decades. There was absolutely nothing special about the rusty sword he was in when I found him at the shop.

This new sword was superior to the old one in every way, except one. It didn't have a good cutting edge, nor could it be sharpened effectively. My Armoriont was simply not capable of growing so sharp an edge, and the other powerful properties of the nanocrystal relied on a molecular structure that could not be sharpened with grindstones like steel could.

"I can even feel that my capacity for absorbing magic is a hell of a lot higher! It's coming back to me now…my limit goes up when decorated with jewels. I guess the stuff this blade's made of counts as a huge jewel," Derf continued with an excited tone.

If that was true, then perhaps I spoke too soon. The sword could be sharpened by Derf with magic, so the extra magic would more than make up the difference.

Were Saito the one using the sword as he was meant to, he couldn't easily charge it up, nor could Louise charge Derf without risking the sword simply exploding. I and Agate, on the other hand, could channel magical energy directly into Derf after processing od or mana through our circuits.

"Let's get started then!" Agate flew over to touch Derf's new form and immediately started processing magical energy.

"Oohh! Ahhh! Yes! Keep going! More! _More! _The last time I've had so much magic running through me on a regular basis was with Sasha thousands of years ago! Hahahah…the true legendary Derflinger is back, just like old times baby!"

"Hm? Who's Sasha?"

"Eh? I don't remember. Someone strong, I think."

When Derf was powered up enough to do some tests, I was very satisfied with the results, and that was putting it mildly. If we kept this up and charged him every day until he reached his limit…

O O O

Once Saito was healthy again, he joined in on Louise's lessons. I gave him Derf's old sword after I polished the rust and bad edges away.

"What's going on? I thought Lord Derflinger wasn't in here anymore," he said. "Why do I still feel so powerful when holding this sword?"

"Derf gave you a small boost, but the power was within you all along. You are Gandalfr. That superhuman power will activate whenever you are holding any weapon."

"So it was really my own power that duel…?"

"That's right. As I told you, Derf has the power to destroy magic. That was my main reason for lending him to you for the duel. No matter how physically superior or skilled you are, what do you think would happen if you try to fight a magic golem with a common weapon, especially when your opponent is an Earth mage?"

Saito's mouth formed an O in understanding. "The weapon would break! Right, they mentioned in class that Earth mages could transmute materials and make them harder or softer."

"Exactly. Guiche was weak, but against more powerful mages, physical ability alone won't be enough. Know your enemy and know yourself, otherwise you will be imperiled in every battle. As Gandalfr, you will gain great power when holding a weapon, but that's also your weakness. If you lose your weapon, or if it breaks, you return to normal."

"Got it. I should probably carry backup weapons then," Saito said nodding.

"Now let's begin. We'll start with a simple spar. Come at me with the intent to kill," I said.

"You sure?" He asked, face looking dubious. "What if I hurt you?"

"If you don't use your full power, you won't stand a chance."

"Well…alright," he said, getting into a ready stance. When he noticed that I wasn't getting into a similar stance, he asked, "Um…aren't you going to draw your sword?"

"If you can make me draw it, I will," I said with a smirk, and made a come hither motion "Now come at me whenever you're ready!"

"You'll regret saying that!" He yelled as he shot forward.

He moved impressively fast, though I had already expected it from watching his duel.

I dodged a few of his slashes, though they were close.

Then I parried his sword with my gauntlet, and stepped in. A simple push to his chest sent him stumbling backwards, though I didn't seize the advantage.

"Shit!" He took up another stance warily once he caught his footing again. "You actually know how to fight."

"Did you think all mages were like Guiche, relying solely on their spellcasting?"

"I kinda did think that, but I also expect you to be different. You look like someone who can get up close and personal," he circled around me with hawkish eyes. "But I'm not done yet."

Another charge that came even faster than before, and I was hard pressed to continue dodging the flurry of strikes that followed, instead having to parry the blows.

A short distance away, Louise had stopped practicing her spells to gawk at our sparring, which must have looked like a whirlwind of action.

The agility of Saito's limbs was higher than even my basic Armoriont boosted speed without magical reinforcement. His strength, however, was not even close to me despite being enhanced, nor was his body's durability, which wasn't much better than a baseline human.

I tossed a few test punches at him, and determined that his reflexes were excellent, though his overall skill level was amateurish at best. It seemed that the runes gave him the knowledge to use the weapon, but did not grant actual mastery of it.

Finally, I ended the bout by simply grabbing the sword, which couldn't hope to scratch my armour.

"What the—?" He struggled with both hands on the hilt, his wide eyes locked on my single hand that held the blade edge in an iron grip.

He was distracted enough that he didn't dodge my palm strike, which this time had some serious force behind it.

The force of the push took his feet off the ground as he lost his grip on the sword and landed sprawling on the ground.

Saito groaned and cursed while lying there. "I can't believe it…how are you that strong? That's not human!"

"Magic, obviously."

Louise's face turned indignant as she reprimanded Saito. "Of course Lord Axion is strong! He's an elite knight, nothing like that idiot Guiche! Lord Axion must be at least Square-class!"

"I don't use that ranking system, so I don't know how powerful I am compared to a Square-class mage. Still, Louise is right. Your own new power is a result of magic, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that I can enhance myself too. Well, I doubt any mages here can reach my level of physical ability, but the point remains."

"Ugh…I'll keep that in mind," said Saito, sitting up.

"We'll take a break, and I'll tell you what you should work on. I've a good idea of what your runes can do now."

O O O

The power of the Gandalfr runes was somewhat disappointing to me.

With just this much, how could he possibly battle an army of 70,000? Was it really just Derflinger that allowed him to perform that feat, or was I missing something…? I cursed that I did not know either the novel or anime stories very well.

Louise, on the other hand, was very dangerous. I tested her explosions against a piece of armour I grew and detached, and she had no trouble destroying it. If the armour was Reinforced, then she couldn't target and blow it up directly with the newly named 'Detonate' due to magic resistance, but she could still destroy it with the 'Blast' created from her failed Fireballs.

Luckily a heavily magic charged Derf could withstand a Blast, and even absorb some of its power.

As for myself and Agate, we never managed to cast any local magic, even with using the local wands and staves. We did, however, learn to use the wind stones to fly and make a strong breeze.

Moreover, we learned something peculiar about the wands and staves we investigated. By channeling processed magical energy from my circuit into the foci before using it to actualize a mystery, the mystery gained varying amounts of strength.

It didn't do anything for Agate, but after a series of experiments, we concluded that the wands were acting as external artificial magic circuits that possessed only one of the features of internal soul circuits. They were not connected to the soul or the Root to generate od, nor could they actively draw in ambient mana for a spell, but they could amplify the mystic potential of magical energy.

In other words, if a magus had very low quality circuits, they could use such wands to enhance their spellcasting a little bit after first using their own circuits to generate magical energy from od and mana.

Although Agate's circuits could serve the same function for me, these wands could be a useful backup, and I investigated the theory and method of their construction.

Physically, it was just carefully crafted wood. What made them magical was the inclusion of mage's blood through a ritual. My own blood apparently didn't qualify—I tried and it didn't work. But the quality of the wand supposedly corresponded directly with the potential of whichever mage the blood came from, so I took some from Louise.

The ritual itself was supposed to need willpower to cast, but we somehow got it to work after extensive experimentation.

How? Well, it all started when Agate had the bright idea of seeing if Derf could absorb Chaos energy. While we didn't risk phasing Derf directly into Agatespace, Agate phased some other objects into Agatespace to collect Chaos energy so that Derf could absorb it from the object once she phased it back.

As it turns out, he _could_ absorb a small amount of it, though in his own words, "I feel like I'm having indigestion…"

He could use the Chaos energy for a quick boost, but wouldn't be able to use any powers for over half an hour afterward.

So Agate suggested that we try using Chaos energy to substitute for the ritual and see what happens. We did, and it failed spectacularly when the wand exploded in a bloody mess shortly after being brought back from Agatespace.

However, inanimate objects didn't normally explode like that when saturated with Chaos energy—only brains did.

The reaction showed that _something_ was going on, and so we experimented with it until we figured out that Reinforcing the wand would stabilize the destructive effects of the Chaos energy to an extent, until it could dissipate. By finding the right balance and timing of exposure to Agatespace, it somehow worked in the end.

Once my new wand was completed, further testing showed that its quality in mystic amplification was roughly on par with Agate's own A+ Rank magic circuits.

The only 'problem' was that the wand had the side effect of causing spells to explode violently, just like Louise's own spells. It was extremely effective when casting Reinforcement Break. It turned the windstone breeze spell into an air blast while the wind flight spell turned into a shockwave of air pressure that exploded outwards from me in every direction.

Now wands and staves were actually fairly expensive at 500 écu each for the cheapest low quality ones, so I couldn't actually buy anything useful. But they weren't a pressing concern either, considering how few spells I could cast, so I could just wait to make a new one if the opportunity to get a high level mage's blood arose.

O O O


	13. 13 - Princess of Tristain

**13 – Princess of Tristain**

On the sixth day after the duel, just a day before Void Day, Osmond informed me that the Crown princess would be coming to the school for an inspection of the school and the vault, and that he had arranged for her to meet me to see if there was anything the Crown could do to help my situation.

The princess' entourage was small, but the procession of knights, Griffons, and musketeers still awed the students.

Saito, in particular, seemed entranced by the princess' beauty, to Louise' consternation, but after I'd interfered a couple of times to tone down her 'punishments', she let Saito off the hook this time.

Once classes resumed while the real inspection work was being done by the Crown's agents, I met Princess Henrietta, who was only a seventeen year old girl, in her guest room, which was much larger and more opulent than mine.

Her musketeers stood guard outside while Osmond and I were called to enter. The princess Henrietta de Tristain sat holding her crystal staff with unknown anxieties on her face that she quickly calmed as we came in. A handmaiden set the tea for us before exiting.

"Your highness," Osmond said with a deep bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, princess," I said with a simple nod.

A kind smile was returned to me. "The pleasure is mine, Sir Axion. I have heard great things about you. They say you are a renowned hero in your homeland, who has achieved feats of a sort similar to those I only read about in stories, growing up. And you have been a tremendous inspiration to the students here, who are the precious future of this Kingdom. Even battling Fouquet and returning the Staff of Destruction, you have proven that you live up to your reputation."

"Your words are too kind, princess. I merely did what was necessary. When there is evil afoot, _someone_ must step up to stop it. I simply happened to be the one with the right skills to accomplish the deed. I imagine there are many such courageous men and women in Tristain as well."

"I wish it were so, Sir Axion…in my grandfather's day such chivalry was common, but in these dark times…" she said sadly, then sighed. "I ought not burden you with these matters. Please, tell me of your troubles so that I may assist. I am told you are from another world entirely?" She asked with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.

"That is true, princess. I was summoned by Louise Vallière together with a boy who came from yet another world still," I said.

She blinked with astonishment. "Louise Vallière, truly? Sir Osmond, you did not mention it was my dear friend who had done the summoning!"

"Your highness, I had no idea she was your friend," said Osmond.

"You're right of course, you could not have known. Yes, we were close friends when we were younger. What a coincidence…or perhaps, a sign from the Founder…but what does it mean?" She murmured to herself, before shaking her head. "No, I shouldn't get distracted. We were speaking of you, Sir Axion, and how I can help."

Her tone and expression were fraught with genuine sympathy. "If you are from another world and stranded in Tristain, I can only imagine how it must feel to have lost your home. Although we have no way to send you back, if there is anything else I can do to help you, please ask."

I nodded appreciatively. "Thank you for your concern, princess Henrietta. I have some ideas on how I might return on my own, so it is not hopeless. In the meantime, the opportunity to explore a new land is a joy of its own."

"Please, just Ann is fine when we are in private. I would not ask a great hero such as yourself to address me so formally, especially as you are not my subject. Though perhaps, that can change if you find Tristain to your liking…?"

Young as she was, she was very good at projecting warmth and kindness, though that may have just been her nature.

"Very well, Ann, but only if you call me Kaleidus. And none of that sir business, either, if we're doing away with titles."

She nodded pleasantly. "Kaleidus, that is a strange name but somehow I feel it suits you. Then, have you thought about what you would like to do? For your role in preventing the theft of the Staff of Destruction, you would be more than qualified to receive a title of peerage."

I smiled back but shook my head. "That is a kind offer, and perhaps I might take it up in the future, Ann, but for now I must decline. Though I'm still unfamiliar with the customs of this land, I am not unfamiliar with the burden of ruling. I'm sure you understand what I mean, taking on such a heavy responsibility at such a young age for yourself."

She looked at me with a mix of seriousness and surprise.

My expression turned melancholic. "The people may admire us, but unless we are tyrants the position of a ruler is not wholly enviable. It is a duty that never ends. I have seen how the people look at you, Henrietta, and heard their praise of you on the streets of Tristania. For them to love you so, you must have sacrificed much, and for that, I have only respect for you. So please believe me when I say that I have nothing against being your subject. But over the past few days I have come to realize more and more that the summoning has not trapped me on this world. Rather, it has given me a new kind of freedom, and I would not be so quick to shackle myself in duty again."

There was a pregnant pause as the purple haired girl digested my words, and Osmond looked at me in a new light.

"Freedom…?" She cautiously drew the word out with an intense gaze at me.

"Before I was summoned, I had already established a robust system and trained successors to rule in my place in the event that something happened to me. I have the utmost confidence that my people will be fine without me. I won't deny that I'd like to go back at some point, but here, I am _free._ There are no grand quests to undertake, no world-ending threats to face, no mountain of paperwork…there is nothing. There is just me, my wand and sword, and whatever adventures I find in this fascinating new world," I gestured grandly to the window that showed the endless plains outside.

In that moment, the princess's refined expression broke and what replaced it was a picture of longing and awe.

"When you put it that way…it really does sound wonderful. To go wherever you want, seeking excitement and adventure…I…"

Her youth and royal upbringing was now showing itself. Someone who had lived in a palace all her life, surrounded by guards and nobles whenever she traveled, the idea of simple freedom and adventure had a glamour to it that was grossly distorted by imagination and bard's tales.

Osmond seemed to notice the princess's stupor too, and quickly said, "Ah, your highness, I'm sure you'll be able to go on an adventure when the kingdom is safe. When the crisis in Albion is over and the line of succession is secure."

A shadow of disappointment flitted across Henrietta's face. "Yes, you're right. I must put the needs of the kingdom first. Alas, Kaleidus, I wish that I could help you some other way, if you'll not consider peerage."

I had already read between the lines and understood the real purpose of this meeting. Henrietta herself might have genuinely wanted to help me, but tying myself down with some kind of real position would only be an inconvenience in the long-run when I needed to disappear for unknown periods of time offworld. The general status of being a noble wasn't such a big deal when people assumed I was noble just by the way I dressed anyway.

"Well, there is one thing," I said. "Not for myself though…Ann, is it really true that you are Louise's friend?"

"Louise de la Vallière? Yes, of course. She was my playmate but a few years ago, and my dearest friend still. Though it has been some time so I'm not sure that she still thinks the same way of me…" She said hesitantly.

"I assure you, Ann, she has never forgotten and loves you just as much, even if she is too shy to show it because of your station. I have taken her as a student this past week, and would therefore ask you a great favor on her behalf. However, this is a very private matter…" I said, turning to Osmond.

Henrietta and Osmond both understood my intent and Osmond offered to withdraw on his own. "That is a very honorable thing to do, Sir Axion, to think of your student even now. I will of course allow you to converse in privacy."

He bowed to Henrietta again. "Your highness, I shall be in my office if you need my presence."

When he left, Henrietta stood up and gave me a short bow of her own.

"What's this? Why are you bowing to me, princess?"

"I must thank you for teaching my friend. I have heard of her difficulties in magic, and to know that such a great mage as yourself is so earnestly helping her sets my heart at ease," she said before returning elegantly to her seat.

"No need to thank me, Ann. I only recognized the potential where others did not, and knew how to bring it out. In fact, that is precisely what I need your help with."

"Whatever I can do, please ask."

"In truth, I am reaching the limit of what I can teach her personally, and I must also leave the school for a time. She has a very special kind of magic, you see, and there is nobody else that can teach her. I do not wish to leave her to return to failing pointlessly at her regular studies, which are not suitable to her."

The young princess listened patiently to my explanation.

"Simply put, Louise is a Void mage, like the Founder Brimir was recorded to be in history," I declared with complete confidence.

"A V-Void mage?! Truly?" Her hand flew to her chest as her face turned to shock.

"This is the real reason she cannot cast regular magic, her affinity to Void is overpowering and she cannot use any other element until she gains a degree of control over it."

"That is most remarkable! But, how do you know this? For her to have the legendary element…"

"It is unbelievable, yes. I could easily recognize it because I too have a special relationship to the Void, though that is surely just as difficult to believe, so I point to another piece of evidence. Louise completed the familiar binding ritual with the other boy that was summoned with me. The runes that formed on him are those of the legendary Gandalfr, and he has in fact acquired the power of Gandalfr to wield any weapon with such strength and speed as to be impossible for any normal man. You can easily verify this yourself."

"I see. No need for that, I believe you, Kaleidus. I understand now why you wished to speak of this to me in private, and I thank you for your discretion. For Louise's own safety, it is best that nobody learns of this. But, what is it that you need my help with?"

"Now this next part is only a speculation, but I believe there may be something in your possession that could be of use to her. It is said that the Founder was a user of Void, and he left behind certain artifacts. I believe the Tristainian family has a particularly interesting Founder's Prayer Book? One that is famed to be blank, where all the other supposed originals have varying versions of scripture?"

Henrietta's eyes shimmered in understanding. "Yes, that's right. Without a doubt, the one that belongs to our family is genuine. Though we don't know why it's blank either. But if Louise is a Void mage, then maybe she could discover its secrets."

"So, would you lend it to her?"

She nodded. "I will make the arrangements. In fact, it is right here at the academy vault, and it is one reason I came so quickly for an inspection."

I smiled. "Thank you, Ann, for listening to my request. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."

I retrieved a small metallic object from my utility belt.

"Oh, there's no need for a gift, Kaleidus. I've not even had a chance to reward you your assistance with the Staff of Destruction yet, and it is hardly fair that your only request I can fulfill is one that I would have done for Louise anyway. If anything, I ought to be the one preparing a gift for you." She gestured for me to stop.

"Please don't misunderstand. This is a different sort of gift. If you'd like, you may consider listening to my performance my reward. After all, it is not everyday that one can play a melody for a princess."

"A melody?" She looked at the instrument in my hands curiously.

I did not explain further and simply put the harmonica to my lips.

What followed was a simple, slow, and relaxing tune. Her eyes widened as I played, but soon she relaxed alongside the music.

At the end of it, she clapped lightly with a gentle smile. "Thank you! That was wonderful. That instrument, I've never seen such a thing before, but you are very skilled with it."

"You flatter me, Ann. I am but an amateur."

"No, no! You really are skilled. I daresay you are better than some of the musicians who've performed at the royal court."

"If the princess says so, then I can only accept her praise humbly."

After that, I let her examine the harmonica in detail and spoke briefly of its history on Earth, before attempting to bid her farewell.

"I shall not bother you any longer. You must have much official business to take care of."

"No, not at all! I am quite tired of listening to the Cardinal speak of official matters all the time. Why, he couldn't stop talking about such things even on the carriage when I only wanted some rest!" She said with a sigh. "You were no bother at all, Kaleidus. Your music was quite refreshing. If only all my petitioners were so cultured…"

"Is that so? Perhaps an encore is in order?"

Her face lit up. "I would like that very much, if it isn't too much trouble."

So I played the tune again.

And another one.

Then I just stayed and continued chatting with her until our tea ran out.

It seemed that she was quite eager to have an excuse to keep herself away from the man-shaped knot of stress otherwise known as her Regent.

In the end, she even asked me for advice on love and politics, which I was happy to share. I had no vested interest in influencing the future Queen of Tristain, but I wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to nudge her along a more interesting path.

O O O

When the week of teaching with Louise was up, I informed her and Saito that I would be leaving for a while and returning to check their progress later.

To maintain a line of communications, I brought over a comms node from the AAPV. These 3kg nodes were solar powered super lightweight foldable communications drones that had several functions. They could communicate directly to each other at 8-16 kilobit per second bandwidths over ranges of 1000-3000 km, using Low Angle Skywaves, depending on their positioning. They could also act as hubs for short range radio comms—connecting to mobile devices like phones within a hundred kilometers. Finally, if I had a geostationary satellite in orbit, they'd be capable of much higher bandwidth transmissions. The AAPV had such a satellite on board and it could deploy it by going up to space, but I didn't see a need for it at the moment.

I simply set up a node floating over the school and another on the underside of Albion, with the AAPV itself acting as a node as well, and gave Louise and Saito each a solar powered smartphone. Being from a modern Earth, Saito easily understood how to use it despite the custom operating system. Moreover, he actually still had his laptop computer in his bag when he was summoned, so after installing some new software and giving him a solar panel and adapter to top up his battery, he could use that too.

For her continued studies, Louise received the Prayer Book as I requested and tearfully thanked me after Henrietta told her I "gave up" my own reward for defeating Fouquet to ask this favor for her instead.

I was unsure if she could actually do anything with the blank book, but unlocking the secrets of the Void magic was the only thing I actually cared for her to do.

I left Saito with videos and digital manuals, along with a loan of modern equipment including guns and explosives that he could use as Gandalfr. Nothing that could hurt me, of course, but certainly adequate to take out some unsuspecting mages. Without Derflinger, the boy was less than useless if he didn't have modern weaponry to help him. I wasn't counting on his help anytime soon, but it wouldn't do if Louise got herself killed before I extracted the secrets of Void from her, and he was the best, and only, line of defense at the moment. I made sure he understood how valuable this equipment was, being irreplaceable as long as we were 'trapped' in Halkegenia, and that he'd owe me for it.

Before the dawn on the eighth day of my arrival to Halkegenia, I flew off to Albion carrying Longueville toward the city of Saxe-Gotha.

O O O

A/N: Thanks for reviewing, and some responses below:

**Kevin J Rosario Cruz**: Thanks for letting me know. Actually, I've been a bit bored of the latest chapters too, so you aren't alone. I'm looking for ways to make it more exciting, but the issue is mainly a result of the world being less dangerous than Worm. There just aren't as many threats or enemies around, and MC is a lot stronger than he was at the beginning of Worm.

**Allhailthesith**: I adhere to the conditions and restrictions on powers from the original work as closely as possible. Chakra isn't purely physical, it was shown to be used by souls without bodies and was originally "given" by So6P to chakraless people. If a power is hereditary in the source, I will treat it as being hereditary. If there is no canonical evidence that it's based on physical DNA inheritance, then I will treat it as some other non-DNA hereditary mechanism, as I've done with Halkgenian magic. I don't want the MC collecting powers too easily and have massive power creep. But I will develop the inner workings of powers from different worlds such that there is some level of compatibility. A central theme of the story is to discovering which powers and physical laws are "closest to the Root", and therefore universal across worlds. This necessarily means that many powers are FAR from the Root, and cannot be used across worlds or used by foreign entities. Every world can give the MC something. He has already gained a great deal from Worm and Halkegenia.

**FerunaLutelou**: Thanks. All good ideas.

**superpierce**: He'll have to visit Nasuverse first.

**demzerff1**: Actually, the explanation from last chapter was supposed to imply that all mages in Halkegenia have custom wands made of their own blood, and carry their own affinities. So Louise already has an explosion wand because of her Void affinity. There's no such thing as a generic wand-the wandmaking process requires mage's blood.

**Quelthias**: Haha, but she would be a poor mage if she couldn't distinguish her own wand from another.


	14. 14 - The Price of Betrayal

**14 – The Price of Betrayal**

In a few hours' time, we crossed the straits between Tristain and Albion. Because Agate and Offensive Bias had already mapped out the local area, I was able to avoid the patrolling ships near the key port cities of Albion.

It was unclear how the Albionese navy would treat a mage that could fly this far on his own power. The typical way for locals to get to and from Albion was by flying ships using wind stones as fuel, or sometimes with tamed dragons and familiars. Few other creatures were able to make a trip of several hundred kilometres while carrying passengers.

While we were flying, Offensive Bias moved the AAPV to provide support in case it was necessary, according to the plan we set out before leaving the academy.

"Have you been to Albion already? You seem to know the route quite well. It's not easy to navigate here even with a map," Fouquet said.

At the edge of Albion floated a dense coverage of rolling white fog, some so thick one might consider them clouds instead. In the distance the lighthouse of Rosais port could be seen signaling to incoming ships, but we were flying through unmarked shore on a path to Saxe-Gotha in the south east of Albion.

"I flew over to scout and familiarize myself with the terrain a couple of days ago. It's a beautiful island," I said.

"That it is. It's a real shame the politics have turned so ugly. I don't understand what possessed the nobles to revolt against the Tudors. They might not have been the most perfect rulers, but they were not so bad either. This talk of another crusade to the Holy Land is just madness," she said.

A gruff voice interrupted. "What's there to understand? Wars, rebellions, fighting…it's just a part of the way the world works. People are never happy with their lot in life, and once an ambitious sort appears and makes some nice sounding promises, they'll rally behind them to get what they think they deserve."

"I suppose this situation is nothing new to you, Lord Derflinger?" Fouquet asked in a polite tone to the self-proclaimed legendary sword.

"It's the same old, same old business everywhere you go. I've been alive for six thousand years, and in that time I've been swung by people from all walks of life. From the lowliest peasant to the highest king and even the elves for a time when I was lost on crusade. Human or elf, in the end, people are not that different."

The renowned thief perked her head up. "Were there elves in your world too?"

"No, there were none in my world. Derf's actually native to Halkegenia," I said.

"Eh? But I thought—" A particularly dense bit of condensate broke in front of her face and droplets of water spilled on her face and hair.

"That he was a legendary artifact from my world who had been in many epic battles with me? Hahaha, we got her good, didn't we, Derf?"

The sword joined me in laughing.

"The truth is I found him in a rundown shop in Tristania rusting away in a pile of rubbish. The legendary feats he performed have long been lost to the ravages of time. He's certainly powerful, but nobody around here understood what he was or how to bring out his power. But I've a better eye than most, and we decided to team up and have some fun."

"It wasn't just me, you fooled the whole academy, even the Headmaster, with that stunt…" she grumbled.

Soon, the city of Saxe-Gotha came into sight. This was an ancient city said to be the first ever built by Brimir's people on the Albion continent.

Located on a mountain, it was like a fortress with huge and thick walls in a circle around it, and inside were five main streets crossing the center that made the whole city look like a pentagram from a bird's eye view.

The tip of the mountain itself had been carved out and refashioned into an aerial port for ships.

"That way, in the forest." Fouquet pointed at a large forest which a paved road from Saxe-Gotha led to.

It wasn't long before we touched down at a tiny village smack in the middle of the forest, consisting of several huts and a cottage.

Some children were hiding behind cover and looking with both awe and suspicion as we landed. But when Fouquet took off her hood, their suspicion was replaced with excited cheers.

"Big sister Matilda!" They cried and ran over.

I waited for Matilda to greet the kids, and one of them ran to the cottage. She gestured for me to wait outside while Matilda followed the little girl to the cottage and went in.

The rest of the kids clamored around me while Agate went in to spy on the cottage.

This whole place was bringing up some vague memories I had, and soon I made the connection. There was a person whom Saito had met after dying and losing his Gandalfr runes after the battle against the army of 70,000. They revived him, presumably with the ring that Matilda told me about. It was a half-elf with ties to the royal family who'd been hiding here and running the village which was actually an orphanage.

What relationship did Matilda have with her?

Inside the cottage, Agate found a pointy-eared girl dressed in simple peasant clothes. She sat still on her wooden stool, almost unnaturally so, staring at the closed door without blinking.

'_Um…she seems a bit weird. Isn't she a little _too_ still?_' Agate thought to me. '_I think this is what you would call giving off bad vibes. I hope all elves aren't like this._'

Meanwhile, I drew out Derflinger to show him to the kids who were awed by his new crystalline form.

Then Matilda opened the door and the half-elf girl was suddenly quite animated. "Lady Matilda, you're back! It's been a while since you last visited!" She quickly moved over and gave her a hug.

Matilda smiled pleasantly and returned the hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit sooner, Tiffania. Reconquista has made things difficult for me. But it's okay, we don't have to worry about them for much longer, I found someone that can help us!"

"Huh?"

"He's a very powerful mage, and he agreed to help us escape from Albion."

"Escape? But…I can't leave here. What will all the kids do?" Tiffania's face grew sad.

"We can send the kids to the orphanage in Saxe-Gotha, it'll be tough for them but they'll survive. Please, Tiffa, there's no other choice. I…failed the mission they gave me. If we don't leave, they'll come for you!"

Tiffania looked hesitant still. "Can this mage really help us escape? I heard that all the ports are under Reconquista's control already."

"I believe he can. He flew the two of us over on his own power, without a ship or a familiar. I didn't even see him use any wind stones. He's definitely a Square-class mage, and he's got a weapon that can destroy magic. Even if we had to fight our way out, he's our best shot. The only thing is…I had to promise him your ring. Sorry Tiffa, I know how much it means to you, but if it's your life or a keepsake…I hope you understand."

"I understand," the girl said and nodded.

"Eh? You do?" Matilda sounded surprised, as if expecting to have to do a lot more persuasion.

"Of course, I am the last living member of the house of Tudor, aren't I? I have to live at all costs."

"What…this isn't like you—" Matilda barely had time to process the strange words coming out of her friend's mouth before she gasped in pain and found a blade piercing her gut.

"That's why you have to die, Lady Matilda de Saxe-Gotha. You have been a friend to my family for a long time, but now that Reconquista has won, I'm afraid I have to cut ties with you to prove my loyalty to the new Emperor's rule."

I watched in shock, and a bit of admiration, as the girl viciously sliced up and drew the dagger out.

Matilda staggered, slumping against the wall and sliding down until she was laying sideways on the ground. "N-no…! You're not Tiffa!"

If the girl had truly turned on her old friend to save herself, it was a show of willpower worthy of respect, however despicable and foolish it was. It was someone that could be used…to a degree, until she turned on her new masters. That was the problem with defectors, even the ones that do so out of a good cause. One always had to be cautious about their true loyalties.

Matilda's blood was hemorrhaging out, staining her clothes red even as her face grew increasingly white. The wound was severe, penetrating the whole way through her abdomen and running up to her ribs.

It was doubtful I could save her even if I tried to provide modern medical support. Only healing magic would be able to do anything for her, and I didn't have that—which was the whole point of getting the healing ring. Amelia back on Worm never had time to invent any kind of Tinkertech-like super substance/symbiont for rapidly healing other people. My priority had been to enhance my self-healing capabilities so that was where her efforts had focused on.

"Hm, so you've finally realized. Did you really think we wouldn't know that you'd betrayed us, Fouquet?"

The fake Tiffania finally revealed her true colors. Apparently it was an imposter after all.

"Our agents in Tristain informed us of your failure to retrieve the Staff of Destruction several days ago, and even returned it to the school with that interloper. To think you had the audacity to come back here...well, at least you'll be of more use to us in death than in life."

It seems that we waited too long. Originally, Fouquet wanted to keep her job at the Academy so that they'd have somewhere to settle after escaping Albion. And I wanted to upgrade Derf and finish the lessons with Louise first. Had we come straight away, they couldn't have gotten here before us.

Actually, come to think of it, the real problem was that I made the mistake of returning the Staff of Destruction for the reputation boost with Tristain, not realizing that they already knew Fouquet's cover identity. If I never returned it with 'Miss Longueville' in tow, then Reconquista wouldn't have known that Fouquet had necessarily betrayed them.

The imposter smirked darkly and pulled out a white doll from under her skirt, kneeling down to let it drink Matilda's blood.

"W-wha…di…yo…Tiffa…!" Matilda struggled to form the words, and coughed up yet more blood.

"She has paid the price for your treachery, dear, and soon you will go to join her. Just lie there quietly and savor your final moments."

A short moment later, the doll grew in size and formed a replica of Matilda, to the silent horror of the original.

Outwardly, I showed no sign of having noticed anything wrong while playing with the children.

The doll was a dead giveaway for the work of Myozunitonirun. Such gargoyles were known as alviss, and you could find them on the Academy grounds too, but Myoz took their use to a whole new level. It was a type of magic that differed from golems in that they didn't necessarily need to be directly managed by the caster's will, and could act on their own. But they were also far more expensive in willpower for that reason.

Using it to infiltrate and make clones of other people though? That was not in the normal Halkegenian mage's repertoire, as far as I knew.

If Tiffania was an imposter, then what about the children? I eyed the kids around me carefully, and Agate drew my attention to the one girl which had led Matilda inside the cottage. There she stood silently in the corner, seemingly unphased by what had transpired.

'_If the real Tiffania is dead, they probably took the ring from her already,_' Agate thought. '_This was a waste of time. They beat us to the punch._'

There were four Void mages who should have awakened in this era, one for each of the Brimiric nations of old whose ruling lineages descended from Brimir himself. Albion, Tristain, Gallia, and Romalia.

There was some significance to the presence of the four Void mages, who each would have one of the four legendary Void familiars. How that would be affected if one of them died was unclear to me, but this incident made me more than a little frustrated.

Not only did we lose out on the ring, which Myoz the master of magical artifacts would definitely recognize, it felt like Reconquista stole a Void mage from under my nose whom I could no longer study.

As the fake Matilda exited from the cottage and came towards me, it was clear that Myoz had plans for me too.

If I quickly defeated Myoz's alviss, it might be possible to stabilize Matilda's wound with the medical supplies onboard the AAPV, until I could get her to a Water mage for healing. As a temporary ally, I could at least do that much. On the other hand, Matilda herself wasn't particularly valuable to me, so why take the risk?

A confrontation in what was clearly a prepared ambush was disadvantageous, to say the least. While I was eager to test Derflinger's might against worthy opponents, Myoz was not a foe to be underestimated. Even worse, I had hoped to be able to avoid Myoz until I could launch a surprise attack on Cromwell for the Ring of Andvari. Myozunitonirun was like a Tinker—the more they could analyze their opponents and prepare appropriate counters, the more dangerous they would be.

There was also the possibility that Myoz had something other than a fight in mind. In the best case, an alliance with Myoz could be very rewarding. Out of all the Void familiars, the Mind of God was certainly the most useful and versatile, especially when considering that my main goal at the moment was to collect powerful magical artifacts I might be able to make use of on other worlds, as learning the native magic appeared to be a lost cause.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Agate]**

_Analyzing..._

We know very little about Myoz's capabilities, and not knowing means it's inherently risky to face them in battle. But caution carries its own risks. Had we attacked Cromwell right off the bat instead of trying to get the smaller prize of the healing ring first, we would have retained the advantage of surprise. Now Myoz is aware that we are willing to work against Reconquista, maybe not as a full enemy yet, but the fact that we got involved in Albion at all is something they would be wary of if they were prudent.

Because we also know very little about Myoz and its Void master's motivations, a negotiation would be similarly difficult, though there's no question of the rewards being the largest and most immediate. The Ring of Andvari is impressive, but one must ask how did they get a hold of it? And if they were willing to give such a powerful artifact to a puppet, what does that mean for what else they might have access to, or would share with an ally? Even these alviss are very useful.

The death of Fouquet would be a shame, and we'd have to bring the bad news to the Academy at some point, as our story was that we were escorting 'Miss Longueville' to Albion to take care of some personal business, navigating through the dangerous war torn land. It wouldn't be impossible to save her, but it would also be difficult. We won't find help in Albion, which means we'd have to transport her back to the Academy water mages for healing. Whether she can even survive the trip is an open question. But if she is saved, she may be more amenable to working for us, now that she has lost Tiffania as a motivation, and perhaps she'd want revenge on Reconquista.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A/N: Kaleidus is finally coming up against the real players in the the FoZ universe. Thanks to all reviewers, as always, I appreciate the feedback.

Onto specific responses:

**This-Mickey-Seems-Iffy**: Pairings in the sense of somebody the MC actually likes romantically? If it happens it'll be a long time away. As Amy realized in Worm, he's narcissistic, like actually loves himself kind of narcissistic, and not the meaning which most people use as an insult about arrogance. But he's not above using relationships to achieve some purpose, as shown in the first chapter in the prequel when he was with Angel and later when he talked to Agate about his

**Artyom-Dreizehn**: Glad you think so. I always prefer to read intelligent scheming characters, and writing them too, even though it's harder.

**FerunaLutelou**: Saito will experiment with his powers on his own. I didn't write it out explicitly, but they also did experiments during training. Part of the whole reason MC wanted to help Louise was to study her and her familiar. So far though, the results of the Gandalfr experiments haven't been particularly relevant to the plot. According to the MC, he seems rather weak. And, as long as they aren't stupid enough to leave the safety of the school, they'll probably be fine. Will Henrietta once again ask Louise to go on a very dangerous mission, now that she wasn't the one to retrieve the Staff of Destruction?

**SalemTheSpeakerOfTruth**: Completely agree.

**ThatGuyReturns**: Haha...thanks.

**Imotekh**: Possible, though I don't know the Attack on Titan setting very deeply. But is there any good reason for MC to want to stay there, when considering his goal is to amass interplanar power?

**TheOnlyKing**: Well, I'm glad this sequel met your expectations. MC is a relatively big fish in this world, though that won't always be the case going forward.

**Great Dullahan**: Thanks! I really appreciate the very extensive feedback. It's true there's not that much character development. The MC doesn't care that much about people besides their use to him, he doesn't take that much time to explore their character unless he needs to. Panacea was the other main character of the prequel, so that's why she got so much attention, because for a long time Amy was indisputably the most powerful and important guarantee of his safety. Not even Taylor came close, if Amy wasn't there to enable her. Thinking about decisions, it's true that I haven't put him in a position where he had to make a really tough choice. Because moral choices aren't difficult for MC, the difficulty has to come from somewhere else. I'll definitely think about how to do that more, and hopefully this chapter is moving in the right direction.

The reason that he has formed even weaker connections with the new cast is because he is less dependent on them. In Worm, MC was really a small fish in a big pond. Here...he thinks he's the big fish now. As for canon deviation, that's going to start in a big way from here.

Is he asexual? Not exactly. Amy had it right back in Worm. He's biologically straight but is so narcissistic that he's not attracted to anybody else beyond the surface physical, which he's very good at ignoring, even subconsciously. He might indulge in physical lust at some point, though what passes for beauty for him is pretty unreasonably high considering his backstory on Earth from the prequel first chapter. He actually hasn't met anybody close to Angel's combination of beauty and ability since leaving Earth except maybe Victoria and she was off limits for obvious reasons. More likely however, is for him to use other people's feelings towards him, which he did in the past.

About power...actually for MC it basically is the end rather than the means. His reasoning on why he needed power was pretty dubious-there could be any number of random people trying to kill him like that Planeswalker, so he had to be stronger than all of them. The reality is that he was pretty bored of life, saw an opportunity to gain unlimited power and thought, why not? An adventure unlike any other and "a new story" to end the boredom and once again experience the climb-to-the-top excitement he pulled off the first time in mundane Earth. This was all in Ch1 of the prequel, so I wouldn't be surprised if most readers forgot all about it. He was speaking partially from the heart when he talked about adventure to Henrietta.


	15. 15 - The Mind of God

**15 – The Mind of God**

The choices before me and the path that would follow them flashed in my mind, quickly organized by Agate, then all was clear.

Though I considered that saving Matilda was a lost cause—she wouldn't likely survive regardless of what I did—I nevertheless resolved to act according to my current persona, because as Agate reminded me…

'_You're still in your Axion armour! We don't know if Myoz's dolls can be used for remote communications, or if anybody else might be watching.'_

It wouldn't do for the hero Axion to so easily abandon a comrade, even one of little value. If I were to discard this persona, I would do so on my own terms, and retain the element of surprise when my enemies would have miscalculated my willingness to use despicable means at a critical moment.

Now was not that moment.

The fake Matilda had not taken two steps from the house when I threw a smoke bomb and flash bang.

There was the barest hint of surprise on her face before smoke covered us, and I activated my infrared vision mode.

These dolls were surprisingly accurate mimics of the real human body while they were active. Earlier, even Agate hadn't noticed anything physically off about the fake Tiffania. It was only her unnatural stillness and lack of activity that gave us a clue as to her true nature. A real person would be doing things in their own house even when nobody else was watching, but the fake Tiffania just sat there staring at the door as if waiting for the moment to fulfill its purpose, and it wasn't any sort of meditation.

I jumped high, boosted with my Armoriont wings, and reached fake Matilda in a single motion and slashed right through her.

"Woah! What are you doing?" Derflinger cried out. Because Agate and I were communicating telepathically, Derflinger didn't know why we were attacking all of a sudden, but after absorbing the magic in the alviss, he quickly caught on.

"Huh? It's a gargoyle! How did you know, partner? Nice going!"

Without knowing the full capabilities of these gargoyles, the best thing to do was to use Derflinger's magic absorption to quickly put them out of commission.

Behind me, the children's body shapes morphed just as I suspected and grew much bigger.

"Hang on Miss Longueville! I shall save you from these evil beings!" I shouted.

I rushed through the door and slashed at the space in front of me in anticipation of something moving there.

A man in mercenary attire appeared under my sword and was cut in half with an uncomprehending face.

Agate had watched while the little girl had morphed into the mercenary and went towards the door, which is how I knew where to strike as if I had precognition.

Unfortunately, by the time I got through the door, the fake Tiffania was already holding Matilda with a dagger to her throat.

The fake Tiffania had reacted quite fast after the fake Matilda was killed, as if the dolls could communicate with each other without speaking.

"You cretin! Have you no honor! Unhand Miss Longueville at once!"

I stood in the doorway facing her down while she held the real Matilda, who was too weak to even struggle now.

"Hahaha…! Honor? What use is there for honor in war? And to demand honor for an elven sympathizer of all things? Those who consort with the elves are no better than the elves themselves! Blasphemers and apostates who have turned away from Brimir's light! They deserve no mercy!" Her face turned into an angry snarl.

I scoffed. "Enough with the pretensions, Myozunitonirun. I'm well aware that you care nothing for the crusade or Brimir."

As we spoke, I racked my mind for a solution to this hostage problem. There was no way I was fast enough to take out the fake Tiffania before she could slit Matilda's throat.

I had a laser gun that might be able to take her out if I was accurate enough, but the time it took to draw it out was already enough to end Matilda's life. Even if I had the gun out already, it was only in trashy movies that you could see people shooting the hostage holder. The risk of a fatal mishap was far too high.

Then there was the strategy of pretending not to care, but that wouldn't work here because Matilda wasn't only a hostage—Myoz probably actually wanted Matilda dead, she was only keeping her alive for the express purpose of keeping me back…and if that I couldn't be held back that way, why not complete at least one objective?

"What are you talking about? Myozunitonirun? You must be delusional, mistaking me for that legendary familiar," the fake Tiffania said.

"Cut the crap and get to the point. You're just an expendable alviss. There's no reason for you to hold Miss Longueville hostage to protect an expendable tool. If you wanted Miss Longueville dead, you could easily finish her off right now and lose nothing by it. Since you haven't done that, you must want to talk to me. What do you want?"

For the moment, I could only entertain her.

The fake Tiffania raised an eyebrow, and quirked her lips in a smile. "You seem so sure of that. I could just be buying time to surround and kill you."

"If that's your plan, then you should find better spies. I won't be defeated by anything less than an army of mages. I could kill a hundred thousand of your alviss without breaking a sweat," I boasted groundlessly.

"Hah! We haven't even shown _one percent_ of our power yet, missy! Didn't your spies tell you about that?" Derflinger added.

The fake Tiffania showed no sign of being surprised at Derflinger being able to talk, not even giving the sword a second glance. Perhaps because she'd already known from the spy reports, or because Myoz' power to understand and use magical artifacts was working even through the doll. Or, the doll was too stupid to understand the significance of it so ignored it…though I wouldn't put any money on that last theory.

"It seems that reports of your arrogance were not exaggerated, oh mighty hero from another world. You would do well not to underestimate this land, Lord Axion. There are those less cultured than me who would see your words as an insult and seek to show you your place."

I shrugged. There were people like that everywhere. Some would even try to show me my place without any insult whatsoever. Like that Planeswalker who started my journey by trying to kill me just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't need her advice to know that I had to be careful, but an arrogant persona was also a tool that would cause some people to underestimate me, and others to overestimate me for the wrong reasons.

"Then let them. I'm an adventurer now. It's easier if they come to me and hand over their loot and XP instead of making me do a long quest."

"Expy? What is that?"

"Nevermind…I wonder what world you got summoned from." Was she even from another world at all, or was it possible for Void familiars to be summoned from somewhere in Halkegenia?

"My past is no concern of yours. Let us get to business then. You are right that I wanted to speak with you. Why have you allied yourself with this deserter?" She gestured to the unconscious Matilda in her arms. "What sob story did she use to trick you into helping her?"

"That's it? And here I thought you had something meaningful to say. If you want to make small talk, let Miss Longueville go first. I'd be happy to have a coffee chat with you after Miss Longueville gets treated."

I thought hard, but ultimately determined that, other than talking our way out of it, the only way to resolve this situation was for Agate to launch an independent surprise attack.

It was a card that I never wanted to reveal back on Worm, as I wanted to keep it in reserve as my ace against a few specific precognitive opponents who would be unable to perceive Agate in agatespace, but who might be able to start modeling her after being exposed to that sort of thing a few times.

Now in this plane, such immensely powerful precognition shouldn't exist, so perhaps there was no need to hold back.

'_Yes! Let me fight!'_ Agate cheered. She maneuvered to build up momentum.

The fake Tiffania sighed and shook her head. "You're on the wrong side, Lord Axion. This traitor isn't worth your effort, but I see that there's no—"

'_Do it!'_ I ordered mentally.

In the next instant, Agate materialized just before smashing into the fake Tiffania's wrist in an explosion of colorful lights, the impact knocking her hand away from Matilda's throat. I seized upon the opportunity and crossed the short gap between us in less than a second, Derflinger stabbing forward.

The blade struck true and tore through the alviss' chest, eliciting an expression of shock before it melted away into the blank visage of the doll and shrunk.

Agate dematerialized and went outside to see that the children had all transformed into men in mercenary gear. So these alviss could take on more than a single form.

The twenty or so men surrounded the doorway of the little hut.

With my free hand, I brought out the new wand I'd created from Louise's blood, and eagerly brandished it forward while absorbing the wind mana in one of the many stones I now kept within my Armoriont.

With a quick incantation and channeling the elemental energy into the wand, a large blast of wind blew out the door—actually blowing the door itself and part of the hut's weak wall away with it, and pushed the men back. Unfortunately it wasn't strong enough to knock them completely off their feet, thus showing that this wind breeze spell still wasn't good enough for offensive purposes, even after the explosive effect added by the wand.

It was however, a decent method of crowd control, and I used the opening it created to cut down some disoriented merc alviss.

What followed after was the obvious outcome of fighting a group of unpowered mercs.

Once Derflinger had sliced them apart and Agate confirmed that we were alone, I went back to check on Matilda.

Unfortunately…we were already too late. The initial wound struck by the fake Tiffania managed to hit the abdominal aorta, which is what caused the profuse bleeding. On top of that, she cut upwards after the initial stab, enlarging the wound further.

The floor of the hut was practically covered in blood by now, and I had no means of safe blood transfusion on board the AAPV. I mean, I could morph a makeshift set of transfusion equipment using the Armoriont, but there was no compatible blood available. The Armoriont could only make blood compatible for me, being tied to my DNA, and there was no way I would be handing out my own blood in a magical setting where that might be used against me in the future. Even if I did have blood supplies, given the injury to the circulatory system, there was no good way to actually stem the bleeding either.

It was an unfortunate consequence of having mostly geared up the AAPV for my own protection, not as a mobile medical center.

Matilda didn't even have the chance to say any last words to me, being unconscious, as I felt her pulse slowing down to a barely perceptible level, then ended entirely.

"There goes another one," said Derflinger. "May she find peace in the next life."

"Do you think something like that exists? Another life after death?" I asked.

"Who knows? But people have been telling themselves that for thousands of years. The humans say that mages go to Valhalla, the commoners go…somewhere I can't remember, and the elves say the dead join with the Great Spirit."

"What about you? Do you think you'll have some place to go if the worst comes to past?"

"I can't see how I'm ever going to pass on when I can just find another sword."

I spent a little more time digging out an unmarked grave for Matilda before burying her in it.

Even though I believed that I could consider myself among the stronger beings in this world, there was still a lot that I couldn't do. Matilda's death wasn't a significant loss to me, but if this had happened to anyone important, I would be just as powerless.

With that, I flew away and regrouped with Offensive Bias inside the AAPV and started to adjust the appearance of the Armoriont.

As the AAPV started up, I shook my head with a sigh. "We still have a long way to go. Perhaps I've been too relaxed, thinking this world had few dangers for me. It's always easier to attack a known enemy than to defend against the unknown."

"What are you going to do now, partner?" Derflinger asked.

"We should go to Cromwell to take the Andvari ring while we know where he is," Agate said aloud. I confirmed the route plan Offensive Bias presented on my visor and we prepared to head for Newcastle.

"The ring of Andvari? I've heard of that ring before. Partner, I can't break the magic of that thing. You'll have to be careful," said Derflinger.

"Really? What's so special about it?" I asked.

"I can't do anything about mental effects, unless you want me to cut open your brain…just kidding, don't do that, it won't work either."

"Hahaha! Good one. What about the false dead it can raise?"

"Can't do anything about those either. The spirits inhabiting the bodies can fight me off."

"I guessed as much. You have a harder time with any form of continuous spell, so that doesn't surprise me. But the truth is I'm not that worried about Cromwell himself being a danger, even with the ring. Objectively speaking, it's just not that impressive for direct combat uses. Any mental powers it might have, I should be able to avoid by staying out of sight. No, the real problem is…"

"…we won't know how to use it, even after we get it. Even Cromwell probably doesn't know that much about it. It's Myoz that has the knowledge. And we still don't know much about what Myoz can do." Agate finished for me.

"Why don't you just ask the Water Spirit of Ragdorian Lake? That's who the ring belongs to," said Derflinger.

"Because she'll want it back herself? Why would she tell us?" I countered.

"I don't know, maybe you can trick her."

I shook my head with a sigh. "I've considered the possibility, but the chance of succeeding is remote and could easily backfire on us. As far as I know, the Water Spirit simply doesn't trust humans at all. And it's strong enough that I'm not eager to get into a fight with it if negotiations break down."

For a moment, Derflinger was silent. Just as I thought he wasn't going to say any more, he spoke up again.

"You might have a chance, Partner. You're different from the humans here. All the spirits should be able to feel it. Technically I'm a spirit too, I ought to know."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't just go with any random guy that picks me up, Partner. Your swordsmanship was good but it's nothing special. I was waiting for a specific person. You're not that person, but you're even more interesting. You have an aura I haven't felt for thousands of years, which I only felt once before."

"Derf, what are you saying? What aura?"

"I don't know how to describe it. It's just the feeling that you're not of this world. It's different from that kid Gandalfr. That's who I was waiting for before. He's not from this world either, but his world is connected to this one now."

"I'm getting the sense that there's a lot of context I'm missing here, to understand this. His Earth is connected to Halkegenia?"

"That's right. I think it's time I told you a bit of the true history of the Void. With Gandalfr and Myozunitonirun both appearing, something big's going to happen. You'll need to know to prepare yourself…if you want to get involved. Well, maybe you don't. Might not be anything good."

"I'm listening."

"6,000 years ago, a human with a special power tore through whatever lies between worlds and landed here. He called himself Brimir, and wielded a magic that defied the natural order of things. Every spirit could feel it for leagues upon leagues when he used that power he called Void. He took magic from the land even though he was not a spirit of the land, and did strange things with it. I wasn't there in the beginning, so I don't know too much about what he did, but at some point, he met an elf and they fell in love. The elf made me with the ancient magic of the spirits, and helped him experiment with his magic which he himself didn't fully understand."

"You knew Brimir personally?" I had suspected some link there, but to think he really knew Brimir that closely…and Brimir fell in love with an elf? The same man that tried to commit genocide on them? Must have been a pretty awful break up.

"Yep. But I was young then, so my memory of it is pretty spotty by now. The important thing is that Brimir had that aura too. It was obvious to any spirit that he didn't belong here, even aside from the fact that he could wield magic whereas the humans here couldn't. Of course, his aura was a lot more disturbing than yours, like he was tearing a hole in the world everywhere he went. Yours is just a sense of unease, but fundamentally it's similar, and I can never forget it. After a while, he told my maker why he came here. He was searching for a safe haven, to help his people escape from a terrible enemy. He said that his God must have given him his special Void power, and led him to this wonderful land so that he could lead his people here. The only problem was, his power only let him travel to this land by himself. He could go back whenever he wanted, but he couldn't bring anyone over. One day he disappeared back to his homeland to help his people fight off their enemies, and didn't come back for years. When he finally did come back, he wasn't alone."

"You mean he actually succeeded then? He brought all his people over?" If Brimir really did bring people over from another plane, that was a feat I had to respect.

"Not without a heavy price paid. He was a different man when he came back. Crippled, barely hanging on to life. He still had his magic, but it just wasn't the same anymore. My maker did her best to heal him, but though the physical marks of whatever he did were erased, there was clearly something wrong with him on a deeper level."

"Was it some kind of soul wound then?" Agate suggested.

"Who knows? He never got better. But the few mages he brought along with him were pretty strong too, even though their magic was also different. They had the same magic the nobles here use now, only a lot stronger. They helped him construct a magical device. The elves have it now. They call it Shaitan's Gate. And it was using that Gate that the rest of his people came flooding in. The Gate wasn't without problems either. That thing seriously messed up the world. All the flows of magic energy changed, and spirits couldn't get near it without feeling like they were dying. The elves hated it, but tolerated it until Brimir could get the rest of his people here, taking pity on them. Until they found out that the Gate couldn't be closed or destroyed. Then the elves kicked them out and they went north. Brimir's people had new problems everywhere they went, and fought a lot of other races before finally becoming the dominant civilization on the continent. Long story short, over time their descendants became part of the world proper and lost the otherworldly aura. Similarly, the Gate kept the two worlds connected, and any time someone got here from that world, they didn't feel otherworldly anymore. Which means that if you have the aura now, you must be from somewhere else. That makes you special. And the Water Spirit will be able to tell too, though how she'll react is anyone's guess."

Derflinger finished his explanation and I carefully considered the new information given. Perhaps the most significant point of interest was that Brimir may have genuinely found a way to connect two different planes, albeit at an extraordinary price. I had initially thought the World Gate void spell was most likely only connecting to a part of the local multiverse, similar to Worm's alternate Earths, but the new story told by Derflinger suggested that the spell may be tied to the presence of the permanent Shaitan's Gate. Of course, there was also the method Brimir used to bring his first few followers here to construct the Gate.

Though I knew little of Planeswalker lore, I did know that the inability to transport other people across the planes was a major limitation they shared with me, after some cataclysmic event in the ancient past which reduced all Planeswalkers' powers. Brimir was perhaps a lead on solving this problem. On the other hand, the damage he caused to himself in the process was not appealing in the slightest. This, combined with the fact that the World Gate spell might only be capable of traveling to Saito's Earth and no other planes, would mean that researching the Void further would need to take on a lower priority.

"Thanks for letting me know Derf. I suppose in that case, the Water Spirit's an option we'll have to keep open. Do you know why Brimir wanted to wage war on the elves after?"

"Can't remember that part. The guy wasn't really all there by the end, if you know what I mean. It was something of a religious conflict, I think."

"Alright. Enough about Brimir then. We're almost there anyway."

For the next operation, I wouldn't be using my heroic Axion identity. The quieter I could take the ring from Cromwell, the better.

Ideally, I wouldn't appear anywhere in person at all.

'_My turn to shine!' _Agate thought.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

A/N: This might be MC's first failure since the beginning of the story, even including the prequel. At least, I can't remember any other instance where he gained absolutely nothing and lost an ally to boot. It was bound to happen at some point, and it will happen again when the MC deals with competent opponents where he doesn't have the advantage in metaknowledge.

Thanks for reviews! Responses below.

FerunaLutelou: Trust was definitely a part of it, though I believe the defeat of Fouquet contributed. It was considered a pretty big accomplishment in-story. There are a lot of instances later on where the students gain ranks in the military and even have a knight corps established, so clearly their society doesn't care too much about the student status.

TheOnlyKing: At least half my readers like the MC because he's amoral and even if that wasn't true, I wrote the story because I wanted an amoral character so that's not going change.

Cade2065: I'm glad you're now enjoying it. As for Tiffa, well there hasn't been a body yet.

Imotekh: I was thinking more in terms of how the MC would find a reason to stay. I mean, the MC won't have the metaknowledge, so how would he come to that conclusion after arriving and looking around for a bit? It will just look like a world with some giant physically powerful creatures and a couple of individuals who can transform into them. Compare that to what Amy can do and already did for him in Worm, and MC probably wouldn't see the value in it-he can get better and more versatile upgrades from her.

ZhaWarudo: That's really the premise of the story so there's no much I can do about it. It'll be a long time before he finds anyone he actually cares about beyond their usefulness to him.

LostSoul000: Those are on my list. Naruto is actually quite scary. Characters just move too fast there.

Guest: Saito was told about MC's technology from the beginning, in the infirmary scene. MC claimed that he came from a world where technology was more common than magic.

Guest: Good analysis. That's exactly what Kaleidus does in this chapter.


	16. 16 - Battle of Newcastle

**A/N: **Been busy with other things lately, but starting to get back into it. I'm also trying something new. For a while now, this story has been running as an Interactive Quest on Sufficient Velocity, and there was a discord server where readers gave me ideas on which worlds to go to next.

Now, this discord has been revamped so that you can join to discuss upcoming content, share ideas on what the MC should do, and offer your opinion on specific questions/topics I am interested in, or just talk about whatever you want. The main purpose of this server is to have discussions on things I don't necessarily want a numeric vote on, and to have more fluid discussion through the quick texting format.

**The invite link is: ZyxZPRm**

* * *

**16 – The Battle of Newcastle**

A vast fleet of wooden warships high in the sky surrounded the city of Newcastle.

One single ship stood out, almost twice as large as the second largest ship in the fleet. Bold letters spelled out LEXINGTON—the flagship that Cromwell must have been on.

The concentration of windstones was palpable to even my meagre magical senses. Some fifty ships I counted within thirty kilometres conducting the siege—nay, not just a siege anymore but an active assault.

I thought this battle should have happened a little later, when Prince Wales had returned along with Louise. Or was it simply that they had assaulted multiple times?

A continuous array of cannon fire was bombarding the outer walls of the castle at the centre. Screams and the clash of steel on steel resounded across the city. Fire and smoke were visible from kilometers away with the naked eye.

Within the Lexington, Agate found Cromwell pacing back and forth in his own room.

"…Emperor…an Emperor? Me? Oh my…" he muttered. "How far does Miss Sheffield want me to take this? If I claim that title the Church might finally do something…for Brimir gave only the right of kingship to his descendants…they may look the other way if the royals lose power, but if I dared to claim a position even higher than king…"

He brushed his hair exasperatedly. "We can't possibly win a crusade to the Holy Land without the support of the Church and the other Brimiric nations. She must mean for me to conquer them all!"

A hand lifted up as he stared upon the silver ring bejewelled with a deep blue crystal on his finger.

There it was.

The Ring of Andvari.

It was a nondescript object that did not draw one's attention. It didn't shine with a great luster, or reflect light in a piercing way.

But the moment I focused in on it, really _looked_ at it, not only with Agate's visual sight, but also with our magical senses, there was no mistaking it.

There was _something_ that lay deep within, even though we could sense no magical energy in it, as if it was a mirage with the promise of quenching thirst after a long drought.

Cromwell touched the ring to his lips and closed his eyes. "You will help me, won't you? My precious…"

Then his eyes opened and he began to laugh. "Hahaha…! Of course, of course. With this power, I can do anything! The Void is truly marvellous!"

Unfortunately, Agate could not simply seize a small object and phase it out when it was attached to something else much larger.

I'd need to physically take it from him.

But before that, I had to find out how to use it. Asking the Water Spirit, despite Derflinger's speculation, did not appeal to me, if only because I knew that the Water Spirit considered it a vital possession and would stop at nothing to reclaim it. Myozunitonirun or Cromwell were just as likely to give me false or incomplete information even if I traded for or forced the information from them.

No, the prudent thing to do would be to actually observe how it was correctly used and copy it. It would also be incomplete as the ring no doubt had many functions, and it would be most unfortunate if they could activate it by sheer mental command or some form of magical energy channeling. Nevertheless, this was the most reliable means of discovering its secrets without falling into a trap.

"…!"

Cromwell suddenly stilled and his eyes darted about.

"What's this strange feeling? It's almost as if I'm being watched…" He murmured furtively, standing straighter and allowing his hand to drop back down to his waist. "Hmmm…"

There was no way. How could he…?

"Come out! Whoever you are, I know you're there," he said with a stern look as he held his hands behind his back, puffing his chest out.

'_No, he can't see me! Could it be someone else?' _Agate thought.

Or maybe it was just an act? Do it enough times and maybe he'll be coincidentally right for once?

"You think you can hide from me? I recognize that you are skilled to have gotten so far, but this shall be your last chance! I am the Lord Protector, chosen by the Void! Show yourself and I might show you mercy."

Obviously, we didn't reveal ourselves.

But what he did next took me completely by surprise.

"Hmphf! So be it. I may not be able to find you, but you shall begone from my presence! I, Oliver Cromwell, do decree, you are not welcome in my presence! Begone, vile spirit, and let it be known that none shall enter my domain without my permission!"

Then he raised up his hand with the ring and whispered in a low voice. "_…dome est puru expeies."_

For a moment, I thought he was just bluffing again.

Then it hit.

A wave of pain, then a mental scream, being transmitted from Agate as her sight, hearing, and all manner of other senses suddenly shut off.

She fled from the airship haphazardly but fortunately remained in agatespace where nobody could see her.

The last thing we saw was the image of a searing light, as if Cromwell held not a ring, but a star upon his finger pulsing with unbridled power.

That…was certainly not one of the abilities I knew about.

This changed everything.

I thought I could wait for an opportunity and quietly steal the ring, and maybe even revive Cromwell to use as my puppet for taking over Reconquista, but now that was a monumentally harder task.

Agate's ability to spy on others at will had been a tremendous boon for me on Worm, but such tactics had proven less effective here.

First, the vault and forbidden texts at the Academy had been protected by some form of ward, and now the Ring of Andvari had this strange ability to…detect and affect Agate beyond the normal layer of reality.

These magics seem to operate under mechanics I had yet to understand, seemingly on a conceptual level. And if the Ring of Andvari could reach into Agatespace somehow...it was even more powerful than I thought. If I used an analogy, it would be like comparing tools that operated using the principles of electricity vs electromagnetism. The latter had access to a more fundamental level of physics-or in this case, magical physics.

I was not particularly surprised when the Academy Vault's ward shielded its contents from view, because even though Agate used the Second Magic to be capable of viewing things from Agatespace and to break physical laws like the Observer Effect, the actual particles being observed still existed in the real world. This meant that a ward could conceivably shield the physical components in the real world, acting only on the real world, without necessarily directly challenging what should have been a Magic of a much higher fundamental level.

This ring though, actually seemingly detected Agate's presence and even hurt her on top of warding off the area. How it did so was still unknown to us, and maybe there was a trick to it that bypassed clashing with Agate's high level Mysteries and didn't _really_ reach into Agatespace, but the obvious answer was that its magic was genuinely just at a similar level to True Magic.

Which, on second thought, was perhaps something I really should've expected given that it could resurrect the dead complete with dragging back the soul, if the revived Wales' last words in the canon were anything to go by.

Derflinger didn't have much insight to offer either. "Maybe you can try swinging me at the general area?"

Agate recovered once she was out of the vicinity of the warship, but the same thing happened every time she tried to go back there in Agatespace. A few experiments later and we found that she could still see things if she stayed in the real world, but then she couldn't communicate with me anymore until she left the area. She also couldn't hide herself that way, not having the ability to turn invisible—and I did not want to experience what else Cromwell could do to her if he actually found her in the real world.

In the end, she retreated and returned to me.

It was becoming clear to me that I needed to embrace a new way of doing things. I could not expect to have better information than my opponents. I could still try to spy using technological options but they were much less powerful than Agate, and not really useful in this situation even if they weren't also somehow blocked by conceptual means. Without the aid of accurate metaknowledge or undetectable spying, I couldn't play on this board like a chessmaster looking down on the pieces from afar, hiding in the shadows while using others to do my bidding.

But nor did I need to now. I was no longer the same powerless human that first arrived on Worm with nothing but the clothes on his back and a mind full of schemes.

My opponents had powers unfamiliar to me, but I too had powers and means of my own now, that were unfamiliar to my opponents.

It was time to start using them.

O O O

**[Interlude]**

Oliver Cromwell was an ambitious man. He came from a humble background, an orphan with no known parents, and only a modicum of talent in magic. He was only able to rise up in the clergy to the rank of bishop because the clergy didn't require much in the way of magic, or a noble background.

Even commoners were permitted to join the clergy, if they were well educated and followed the Church's doctrine well.

But without magic, there was a ceiling. One could not hope to claim to represent the teachings of Brimir without being strong in his Gift.

For years, he had stagnated, unable to see a way to rise beyond. The stations of archbishop, cardinal, or even the Pope—these were out of his reach.

Until one day, he had taken pity on a haggard and mysterious woman with an exotic, foreign look, and given her a piece of bread, as he usually did with those who prowled about like beggars and desperate folk. It was in his job description, after all.

But unlike the others, she did not only accept his bread, but asked him a question in return.

"You are a kind and honorable man. I think someone like you ought to rule this nation. How would you like to become king?"

He laughed, and took the compliment in stride, and humored her with an answer. "Why, if only I could. If only I could. But Brimir chose his heirs, and who am I to question His Will?"

Little did he expect for her to suddenly find him again a few days later bearing a gift unlike any other, proclaiming that she would make his wish come true.

Wary at first, and still wary to this day, he accepted the gift after a demonstration of its power, and what a power it was!

With the ring, he knew he could do great things, reach untold heights, and the woman offered to help him along the way.

The past few years had seen him amass followers, an army and a grand fleet. Under the banner of Reconquista, he had obtained more power than he could've ever imagined.

And it was almost all thanks to the ring that he never took off. It was the source of his power, his legitimacy as chosen champion of Brimir, and even…his only way to defend against Miss Sheffield, when the day came for her to seize the puppet by the strings.

He knew very well that one did not simply hand over such power for free, or act like a beggar when one had such power at their hands. That meeting was no coincidence, he had been sought out to play a specific role. Miss Sheffield was blatantly using him, even though he knew not to what ends. The ring was obviously not an artifact of the Founder's Void, or even if it was it would most certainly not be accepted by the Church, considering its blasphemous powers to resurrect the dead and enthrall the minds of lesser men.

Nevertheless, he was an ambitious man. It didn't matter where the ring came from, only that it worked. It was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. And Miss Sheffield was frequently away doing who knows what, so he had plenty of chances to figure out how to protect himself.

That was why, when he felt that presence watching him earlier, he knew exactly how to get rid of it.

From the Lexington's bow, he looked down upon the castle under assault. They had planned to maintain siege for another week, but Miss Sheffield urged him to finish the war sooner, so they attacked today.

His forces vastly outnumbered and outgunned the final royalists holed up in the castle, and he could easily revive any lost soldiers, so it was no trouble for him to do as she suggested.

Today he would proclaim himself Emperor, and a new era would begin.

His army on the ground advanced steadily toward the castle inner gates, after breaching the outer wall. Led by ten monstrously large golems, the army moved almost unimpeded. Mages up on the barely manned watchtowers and battlements rained spells down that merely glanced off the golems. Cannons were misdirected by a horde of wind mages before they could even hit the golems.

A team of four mage knights stood grimly blocking the entrance to the keep.

"We will never surrender to you Reconquista scum! The 1st Royal Battalion shall fight to the last man! For King and country! For Albion!" Their apparently leader shouted mightily with his swordwand pointed at the incoming forces. The shout was loud enough for Cromwell to hear even without a wind spell, given how close the Lexington was hovering over the castle.

Cromwell considered whether to simply use the Lexington's on board cannons, which were the most advanced and powerful cannons in the world. He could blast the castle gate into smithereens together with the mages guarding it, or even send the whole castle down on the king's head.

But no, he needed a total, absolute, and righteous victory. One that nobody could deny, and to do that, he needed to have the king killed in front of witnesses, killed gloriously with the power of magic—with the Void, guided by the clear will of Brimir.

He prepared to join his troops for the final push.

He was startled when a loud bang resounded through the air. Eyes searching for the cause, he quickly found a smoking part of the castle walls that was crumbling down.

_What was that?_ He wondered. He hadn't ordered any ships to fire on the castle.

Through a smoke, his keen eyes saw a shadow flying into the breached wall of the castle.

"One of mine? Or an interloper?"

He turned around quickly and pointed to a couple of knights. "You there, take me down to the castle. And you, go tell General Fairfax to push in as fast as possible, we need to find whatever caused that explosion just now. If it's a rescue attempt, do not allow the king to flee! If it's a third party trying to interfere, capture them!"

"Yes, sir!" They saluted.

Meanwhile inside the castle where said king was preparing himself to face the end…

From his throne, the King of Albion gazed appreciatively at the men who stayed resolutely with him until the end. A mere three hundred men was all that was left of his forces, mostly scattered about defending the castle.

Twenty of his most loyal mage knights and the captain of his guard stood with him in the throne room, while another twenty men defended the hall outside.

A great sigh escaped his lips as the castle shook with a tremendous bang.

He stood up and the men turned their eyes to him.

"It seems that our final hour is at hand…at least my son may keep the line of Albion alive. One day, perhaps…he may return to take back the throne from these treacherous usurpers."

"If he can gain the support of the Church and the other Brimiric nations, there may yet be hope. I fear that our allies in Tristain would not be enough, unfortunately," said his trusted guard captain.

"No, they are not. Even if I were inclined to drag my still grieving cousin into this war, which I am not, they simply do not have the military power to contend against Reconquista. Especially not with that horrible man Cromwell at its head," the old king said.

"A vile man indeed, to claim to wield the Void and represent the will of Brimir. Another crusade to the Holy Land? And after such a terrible war…what madness has gripped these men I cannot understand. I pray that the people of Albion will not suffer for long. The Church must do something soon."

"Haha…as if they care. Or maybe they will even support the idea of a crusade. How many wars have there been among the Brimiric Kingdoms that they did nothing about? Fellow nobles, all holding Brimir's gift shedding each other's blood. They do not care, except when it impedes the effort to crusade against the elves. Why, I doubt they even give a damn about whether the ruling kings of Halkegenia are truly descended from Brimir or not. If you listen to them preach, it's almost as if we kings ought to be subordinate to the Papacy, rather than equals heirs of Brimir."

At that, the captain and the king fell into a moment of silent contemplation.

It was interrupted when the sounds of battle came from just outside the throne room. The thudding of things hitting other things, the crashing of metal on the ground, and the clang of steel on steel.

"M-monster! It's a monster! No, a demon!"

"Impossible! How?!"

Strange shouts could be heard among the screams.

_Monster? What manner of magic has Cromwell unleashed this time?_ The king wondered with a little trepidation. The Reconquista had made use of many unusual troops, demi-humans and beasts that were rarely tamed for battle. He could only imagine what they would use for this final battle.

The body of a knight smashed open the double doors to the throne room and fell in a heap on the red carpet.

Groans escaped from his mouth but he otherwise didn't move.

Before anybody could go to help him, a single dark figure strolled through the open doors, drawing all eyes.

Black armor with jagged edges and dark red lines decorating it like veins pulsing through the body of a demonic being. Baleful red light glared out from its full helm.

The figure held out a blade of what appeared to be a very dark crystal in his right hand. One might mistake it for obsidian, except that its crystalline lustre and translucency was on full display as light refracted through it.

After a moment of hesitation, the remaining mage knights burst into action.

The first knight cast a massive burst of fire, a Triangle class spell, hoping to melt whatever was inside through the armor.

To their surprise, the figure simply walked through undisturbed as if the fire wasn't even there. Then the fire seemed to bend and get absorbed into the blade in the figure's hands, and only served to make it shine more menacingly in an orange-red hue.

Another knight added a wind spell to the still ongoing fire spell, creating a powerful combination effect of rapidly expanding air—a fiery explosion that engulfed the figure entirely.

When the smoke finally cleared, the figure once again appeared apparently unscathed.

Other knights bombarded the figure with even more spells. Blasts of compressed air, whips of water, even lightning. All such spells either barely fazed the figure or were blocked with the crystal sword.

Metallic golems went forth to engage in a physical battle, but were quickly slashed apart like they were made of paper.

Finally, several knights personally charged into the fray, reinforcing themselves with Earth spells and bursting with the speed of advanced wind spells.

A furious high speed exchange of swordplay ensued, and this time it appeared that the knights finally had the upper hand.

They were faster and more skilled, outnumbering the sole figure whose relentless walk forward was stopped in its tracks as it fended off numerous attacks by the thinnest of margins.

It wasn't long before one knight found an opening and slashed onto the figure's sword arm with a loud clang.

However, his swordwand did not even dent the armour, and he fell back.

Yet he was not surprised either, because it was only a test. Most knights in Halkegenia favored cuirass and hard leathers over heavy full plates, because a battle between mages often came down to a contest of speed—whoever could dodge spells more effectively and cast faster would win. For this reason, wind mages who specialized in speed, and dominated the air on their flying familiars, were usually the elite of the military, regardless of which nation they belonged to. That wasn't just unique to Albion.

But the knights had learned to recognize different forms of armor as well as methods to deal with it, so when the exotic armor was shown to be of the highly durable kind, they used their standard counter.

Other knights from afar had seen the result, and targeted the figure with an Alchemy spell to weaken it.

Except that too seemed to be repulsed by a magic of the figure's own, and the same occurred when they tried to weaken the figure's weapon.

It was then that a knight got creative and cast Alchemy on the ground beneath the figure, causing it to misstep into cracked and soft, uneven ground.

"Now is our chance!" The knights in the melee applied enhancement spells to their swordwand's tips for maximum penetration and thrust towards the intruder.

As if sensing that the outcome of a clash between its armor and the highly sharpened and reinforced swordwands might not be in its favor, the figure declined to put its armor to the test—by suddenly shooting up into the air.

The knights watched carefully but did not follow it into the air. They could levitate, but the concentration required to both levitate and maintain their other spells was enormously taxing.

Thus they fired off numerous spells at the figure expecting that its defenses would have been weakened from split concentration.

Contrary to their expectations, the figure continued to shrug off the spells.

Whatever magics made the enemy knight's armor and sword so powerful, it was highly irregular, or the enemy was at a level of mastery far beyond even most Square class mages.

Unless…

"Enchanted artifacts? Or…spirit magic?"

The captain of the guard murmured as he analyzed the situation. Typical human magic was cast and had to be maintained by the mage's own concentration at all times. It was possible to enchant objects to sustain a magic themselves, but that typically required the use of the rare Earth stones and other reagents for the more advanced spells. The only spells that could be enchanted into objects without extra reagents were at the dot level.

Clearly whatever spells on this intruder's equipment were of a far higher quality, capable of resisting all manner of actively cast magic in addition to taking serious physical punishment without a scratch.

A dark chuckle interrupted his thoughts.

"Not bad…so there is at least some fight in the kingdom's true elite," said the figure with a deep male voice.

"Did Reconquista think it could defeat us all with but a single warrior? Are you supposed to show us the power of the Void that Cromwell has been claiming to wield? If so, I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that!" The captain said firmly.

"Reconquista? Don't misunderstand, I'm not with them."

"No? Then who do you work for? Or are you an opportunist looking to take advantage of the kingdom's weakness for your own ends?" The King demanded.

Instead of answering, the dark figure turned his head back as if looking at something beyond the walls. "Hm…I didn't think he'd come out in person so early," he said, as if to himself. Then he turned back to face the king. "I suppose there's no time to play nice with you lot anymore."

_Play nice?_ The king shared a look with his captain. Both were flabbergasted at the intruder's sense of propriety. If assaulting the royal knights and barging into the throne room was being nice, what passed for aggression in his mind?

"I'll make this simple. Hand over the Founder's artifacts in your possession. In exchange, you may yet keep your throne, King Henry. Otherwise, you will all be destroyed with Reconquista this day."

"How dare you! You think you can defeat us so easily? By yourself? The sheer arrogance! Your Majesty, allow me to dispose of this fool!" The captain shouted with a red face.

The figure scoffed. "Pathetic. You are the fool, captain. I don't need to defeat you. You've already lost this war. All of you will die here when Reconquista's forces get here. Unless…you accept my offer."

"Even if we must die, we die with honor, protecting the kingdom and royal lineage! Why should—"

The king put a hand on the captain's shoulder to stop him.

With an interested look in his eyes, King Henry questioned the dark figure. "Are you saying you have the power to destroy Reconquista? And if I'm understanding you correctly…you are essentially offering to help us win this war if I give you the Founder's treasures?"

"But, Your Majesty, you can't possibly believe him! And those are precious heirlooms—" The captain's shocked face turned to bitterness when the King looked at him sternly.

"Old friend, it is clear that this dark knight is a powerful warrior. Perhaps he exaggerates the extent of what he can do, but what he asks for is hardly a high price to pay. Besides, he is right. We are already on our last legs. There is nothing to lose. And if by some miracle he is capable of doing as he says…he would deserve what he asks for and much more besides."

"Indeed. A couple of useless trinkets in exchange for your life, the lives of your men, and the throne of Albion. It is quite a bargain."

"Useless trinkets, hah?" The King said bemused. "Well they certainly are useless to me, but I don't doubt that you have some use for them, or you wouldn't go to this trouble. Which trinkets specifically do you want? I suppose you're after the Founder's Music Box?" The King reached into his robes and pulled out a little object. "I've prayed to this thing many times these days and no music was forthcoming, much less a miracle of the Founder."

"That is correct. And I also desire the Ruby of Wind."

The King gave the dark figure a strange look. "You must not be from around here. The Music Box, I can certainly give you. But I don't have the Ruby of Wind anymore. It is tradition among the royal families for the heir apparent to be given the Founder's Elemental Ruby. That means it's with Prince Wales, and I have no idea where he is, nor could I find him now. I can only assume that he is hiding and preparing to go into exile."

"I see. No matter, you can order his return and reclaim the Ruby from him after I deal with Reconquista. So, you accept then?"

The King idly played with the music box in his hands. "Are you really capable of destroying Reconquista? From where do you get your confidence? And if you are, is this artifact really worth so much to you?"

"The Music Box is of minor interest to me. I will destroy Reconquista regardless of your answer. The only difference is whether I do it before or after Reconquista destroys you."

"…why? What's your motivation in regards to Reconquista? Do you have some grudge against them?" The King asked with a confused expression.

A few loud tremors shook the castle and the sounds of many men moving reached their ears.

"There is no time left. All you need to know is that Cromwell has something that belongs to me and I shall permit him to hold it no longer. It is the source of his so-called Void powers, and the reason you never stood a chance of winning this war from the very beginning. There are greater forces at work than you know, King Henry, and you must choose now whether to trust in my power or be discarded to the dustbin of history!"

As soon as he said that, his posture shifted and the atmosphere in the room changed. The crystal sword glowed with power, and magic radiated like a bonfire.

"…!"

_He was holding back! This is…this is beyond Square class! What sort of monster is he?_ The captain realized with a grimace. The sheer magic energy on the dark knight was now at such a high density that advanced mages like himself did not need the Detect Magic spell to sense it. It was similar to the sensation mages felt when other mages were in the process of stacking more elements together to form a higher level spell, and they were able to get a rough idea of how powerful the magic being cast was going to be.

Another great tremor shook the castle and broken sections of wall crashing to the ground could be heard just outside the throne room.

On unstable legs, the king shouted out his decision. "So be it! Stranger, I agree to your terms!" Then he threw the music box up into the air.

The stranger caught the music box in his free hand and quickly put it away into a hidden compartment on his armor that seemed to open of its own accord.

"Good. You are a wise man, King Henry. Now, I must take my leave. My forces will aid you in this battle." Then he abruptly flew up towards the ceiling.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" The captain demanded and levitated himself upwards as well. "We had a deal, get back here!"

The stranger proved to be much faster at flying though, and smashed into the ceiling within seconds with his left hand.

The stone ceiling shattered in chunks by some strange magic and the debris fell towards the ground, forcing Captain Leonard and the knights below to dodge.

"Stay and protect your king, you fool. I am going to coordinate my forces!" The black armored knight took out a wand and a strong blast of wind blew the captain back to the ground. Then he flew up and away out of the keep.

"You bastard!"

The king watched the proceedings with a nervous gulp. Had he been swindled, or would the black knight bring forth a miracle?

O O O

* * *

**A/N:** **Once again, the discord invite link is : ZyxZPRm**


	17. 17 - A Contest of Nobility

**17 – A Contest of Nobility**

**[Kaleidus]**

I escaped from the castle just as Cromwell's elite closed in on the throne room, and the man himself came down from his ship. Despite the Ring of Andvari blocking Agate from spying on him from agatespace, it was still possible to watch from afar in the physical world, and she could stay in contact with me as long as she was outside of the area under the Ring's ward.

With the Founder's Music box in hand and the knowledge of where the Ruby of Wind was, I already had everything I needed from the royalists.

In fact, these artifacts of the Founder weren't even my main reason for going to the castle. The reality was that only Void mages could do anything with them, and even if I gave them to Louise, there was no guarantee that anything useful would come of it.

No, the true prize in this venture lay in the sword in my hands.

Under normal circumstances, it was possible to feed Derflinger magical energy from Agate continuously, but it was a long and slow process to build up the necessary energy to a respectable amount, and it also required that Agate be in physical contact with Derflinger. And of course Agate didn't like being used as an energy battery, so I couldn't just have her feed him every night in my sleep.

But by attacking the castle and being attacked in return, I not only had the chance to experience the local mages' tactics first hand, but also absorbed an enormous quantity of magic energy from all the high level spells fired at me.

The knights I battled on the way to the throne room had shown me that my Armoriont could safely withstand up to Triangle class spells with hardly a scratch–which quickly regenerated. So I could let spells freely hit me and have Derflinger take his time absorbing all of that power.

There was an unfortunate lack of Square class spells fired at me, so how my Armoriont would measure up was still unclear, and I avoided any concentrated anti-armor piercing attacks out of caution.

Nevertheless, this one battle had seen hundreds of spells being thrown at me, and Derflinger had the equivalent of what would have otherwise taken me several months to store up from Agate.

And I was able to do it without exposing myself to very dangerous enemies like Myozunitonirun or Cromwell. That was why I chose to attack the royalists first, as they were much weaker than Reconquista and unable to seriously pursue me in case the plan went badly and I actually got hurt from a strong spell.

Now, with Derflinger charged, many new options were open to me. There were two abilities Derflinger had told me about which used the stored energy. The first was an energy release that extended the reach of his cutting or thrusting out a short distance. Useful in a swordfight, but otherwise nothing to brag about because I had many other ranged options with technology.

But it was the second ability that I really wanted to access – massive physical buffs for his wielder and for the sword itself.

By allowing Derflinger to flood his wielder with the energy, he could take control over the wielder's actions to fight at a level of skill that could only be achieved by combining the accumulated experience of thousands of years being wielded by all manner of masters, and multiply the strength, speed, and durability of his wielder.

The only downside was that it wasn't possible for Derflinger to boost me without taking over, but he couldn't do it by force either unless I was unconscious so it wasn't a serious problem. I just wouldn't be able to coordinate complex plans with him while in that state because unlike Agate, I couldn't mentally communicate my intentions to him.

This power would be a hidden ace, or something that could save me in a serious pinch. If I didn't want Derflinger to take over, he could also just reinforce himself to incredible levels, and I'd still have a nigh indestructible weapon that could cut practically anything.

I flew back to the AAPV in short order to begin the next phase of my plan.

Offensive Bias plotted a path that took us high into the atmosphere above and east of Newcastle—so high that we would look like nothing more than a dot from the ground, and we weren't noticeable from the air ships below unless they really looked for us.

This height allowed us to maximize the strength and reach of the signals the AAPV was transmitting and receiving to control the drones deployed to the battlefield, and to have a clear line of sight to launch targeted missiles.

The AAPV was in fact capable of going into space to function as a tiny communications satellite, but it wasn't necessary in this case because we only needed coverage over a relatively small area, not a whole country.

Due to the very limited space on board the AAPV, even with the best miniaturization and transforming tech we developed on Worm, I was only able to bring, and now deploy, ten 20 kg armed attack drones. I had thirty other 1 kg observation drones monitoring the city, and naturally Offensive Bias was piloting all of them.

These attack drones were normally outfitted with laser guns of the same type as the ones I carried on me, but I switched them for bullet ammunition in this operation as lasers weren't necessary. Each one also carried a few bombs that could be deployed at a moment's notice, capable of detonating with a yield several times higher than the M72 LAW rocket launcher the locals had called the Staff of Destruction. Then there were the bombs of the biological and chemical variety which this world would have never even seen before.

For now, the attack drones stayed on standby with me, as they were large enough to be noticed and engaged by the dragon knights or airships down below if they got too close before they were needed.

And they weren't needed yet.

Despite what I told the royalists, I was not about to interfere so early, or fight their war for them. The Ruby of Wind wasn't worth anywhere near that much effort.

My objective here today was still the Ring of Andvari, and while that put me in opposition to Cromwell, that didn't mean I had to fight all of Reconquista.

I only had to wait for the right moment to strike at the head.

Through the spy drones, I could see that Cromwell was standing just outside the keep, and hadn't moved from there since I left the throne room. He'd sent his vanguard inside, but he himself hadn't risked entering the castle on account of traps. There was no sign of Myozunitonirun anywhere, which was strange, as one would think that they would be helping Cromwell at this critical juncture. Unless they were waiting for the right moment to appear, just like me. On the other hand, I wasn't sure exactly what position Myozunitonirun had in the army—if going by canon, that'd be Cromwell's assistant?—or what they typically did, so maybe I was just having a hard time identifying them in the sea of soldiers.

An army of mages, orcs, and what seemed to be non-magical soldiers surrounded him, occupying the outer areas of the castle between the ramparts and the inner keep.

The great golems that led the initial attack at the walls also remained outside the keep, content to wait.

Inside the castle, I saw the final resistance fail and the vanguard mages surrounded the door to the throne room.

However, instead of continuing the assault, an unarmed messenger was sent forth. What was this?

O O O

**[Interlude]**

"Damn, where's the aid that was promised? The enemy is already upon us!" The captain cursed as he got into a defensive stance while warily watching the invaders who seemed to be waiting outside the throne room's open door.

"Then all that's left is to meet them head on," said King Henry. He stood up, and took out a wand of his own, preparing to fight to the bitter end.

Suddenly a solitary person came through the door looking very nervous.

Based on their uniform and lack of armor, they appeared to be a messenger.

"Hm? What is it then? At this final hour, does Cromwell think we'd even consider surrender?" The King demanded loudly.

The messenger bowed his head on shaky legs.

"Lord Cromwell wishes to offer King Henry a final chance to demonstrate he and the Tudor lineage possesses the right to rule by the favor of Brimir! A duel to the death against the Lord Protector in single combat! If King Henry wins, Reconquista will disband and submit to the rule of Your Majesty, under the condition of amnesty for all acts committed against the crown. If the Lord Protector wins, Lord Cromwell shall become the new rightful regent of Albion! Will Your Majesty accept this challenge, and acknowledge that the lawful right of succession shall be determined by this duel?"

After issuing the challenge, the messenger carefully raised up and held out an official looking parchment towards the King.

The nearest knight took the parchment and brought it to where the king stood. His eyes quickly glanced over the document, and it appeared to be a treaty outlining the terms of the duel. Champions would not be permitted, the duelists had to be Lord Cromwell and King Henry themselves.

For a moment, there was only silence.

The offer was too good, too heavily favoring the royalists.

And in all likelihood, Reconquista wouldn't even honor it, even if Cromwell died. King Henry was no fool, having dealt with politics and court all his life. The nobles on Cromwell's side wouldn't necessarily follow any of Cromwell's instructions to disband, even if he had been genuine about it. The fact was that they obeyed him now because Cromwell's position was too strong, but if he was dead? Why couldn't any of the ambitious ones seize the throne for themselves, given that the Tudor dynasty was all but defeated already?

Nevertheless, if Cromwell really did lose this duel, it was still a much better chance than the hopeless battle they were facing right now.

Some nobles might be swayed back to the royalist side, especially if they believed that Brimir ultimately did favor the Tudors.

It was an exceedingly tempting offer, even though he knew that Cromwell had to have a good reason to make this offer, not only to secure his legitimacy, but also because he must have been supremely confident in victory if he was willing to risk this much.

He thought back to the words of the black knight. The source of Cromwell's void powers…something that was so powerful, the war couldn't have gone any other way.

That was what he was up against.

And worse still, even if the Black Knight would be sending aid, it would be rendered useless in a duel. Did the Black Knight know Cromwell would do this when he made that offer?

The choice now was to fight on and hope that the Black Knight would come through for them, or accept the duel and try to seize victory from defeat using his own magic.

In the end, it wasn't really even a choice at all.

How could he refuse this challenge if Cromwell had put it that way? As a test of who held Brimir's favor?

If he refused now, he would only appear a coward, and if the Reconquista army spread the word after, even if the Black Knight helped them win this battle, he would lose the support of the populace. A King who turned away from Brimir, threw away the Founder's treasures, and accepted the aid of what some might construe as a demonic being with that dark and unholy appearance? Even his own men might whisper.

With the long silence, the captain began to feel distressed. "Your Majesty, there is no need to risk yourself like this. It is obviously a trap! Cromwell just wants you to do this so he can claim legitimacy after winning! If you sign that treaty, even if Cromwell does not abide by the rules of the duel, he could parade the document and silence all witnesses!" The captain warned.

"Maybe it is a trap. But I see no other choice. This is a chance to prove who is righteous. A contest of nobility. Magic against magic."

The King looked up to the open sky that the shattered ceiling revealed. "Founder above, if you are watching, surely you would favor your own blood in this contest? I have ruled justly and fairly to the best of my ability. That man who desires a crusade to the Holy Land is no faithful of yours. He is a madman and will only bring terror and destruction. Why, he even allied with lesser Firstborn races and demihuman creatures to have them fight for him! Founder, give me the strength to banish his evil and win this duel!"

The knights and the captain bowed solemnly upon hearing the king's decision. "Founder bless you, Your Majesty!"

O O O

Cromwell waited patiently outside as the messenger returned with the news that the King had accepted the offer, as he expected, with the treaty document intact.

Now, a duel would decide the future of Albion. A duel that he would win without a doubt, and strengthen legitimacy for his rule. Or at least, that was what his generals and advisors believed, and most likely the King as well.

Most of them were probably interested in seeing just how powerful Cromwell was, and if he was worthy as their leader. Many had seen a few odd demonstrations, but never seen him actually fighting.

They would all think that Cromwell would reveal some incredible Void power during the duel to win.

"So, shall we have the honor of witnessing the true power of the Void today, Lord Protector?" General Fairfox, the top General of Reconquista, asked from beside him, as if to validate his previous thoughts.

Unusual to Halkegenian knights, the General wore heavy full plates and apparently had no trouble moving around in it.

He and the General both rode on warhorses while they conversed. Cromwell himself had exchanged his bishop's robes for more practical light armour, but retained a priestly overcloak.

"The power of the Void is not something to be used lightly against fellow nobles, Thomas. Nor would the Founder appreciate that his power must be used against his own descendants, no matter that they have abandoned his ways. You will see the Void today, but perhaps not in the way you are imagining," said Cromwell.

"Is that so? I shall look forward to it nonetheless."

Because the great reveal would come _after_ the duel, when he revived the King and the resurrected king would submit wholly to Reconquista's cause and acknowledge Cromwell as Emperor above even kings.

As for how he would win? It would be the mysterious "will of Brimir".

With the Ring at his disposal, he did not need to fear even Square class mages. Only Miss Sheffield might be able to overcome the Ring's power, but that was only a hypothetical. He had never dared to test its powers on her.

And it was with this one act, that he would truly break free of Miss Sheffield's control. Most of the men under his command were less than completely loyal. Some had been strong-armed, or had their own motivations to rebel. Many had to be persuaded with the power of the Ring and Miss Sheffield's shows of force.

And she undoubtedly believed that he had built a house of cards, which would crumble away at the slightest weakness, if he let up on the ring's influence for even a moment.

But that was wrong. Other than the initial defections, he had specifically avoided using the ring to maintain control, in order to cultivate real loyalty. Miss Sheffield had chosen him to play a role, and by the Founder he knew how to do exactly that. He acted as a fanatical religious leader, and preached everywhere he went, even in private.

He was a bishop after all, and with hardly any talent in magic, he used other skills to rise to that station. He knew how to listen to people, be sympathetic, and make them trust in him. To see him as a friend and confidante, someone to whom they could confess all their sins and receive not disgust but compassion in return, and provide wise guidance.

Even as the leader of Reconquista, his was not the rule of an iron fist but that of a moral power, even as his generals enforced military discipline. The feeling of shame, the pride of honor, and the fear of God could make people do things that force never could.

Once his army witnessed the events today, they would truly become _his_ army, and would follow his commands loyally even without the ring. In this way, if Miss Sheffield turned against him one day, or if she tried to take back the ring, he'd still have his army to fight for him.

Soon, the king emerged with his entourage of guards, and when he stepped forward, his guards did not follow.

"Alright Cromwell, I'm right here. If you're foolish enough to bet everything on a duel after coming this far, I am happy to show your men why you're unfit to be a king, let alone the leader of a successful crusade after countless failures by greater men than you."

Cromwell stepped down from his warhorse and took off his priestly robes, handing it to a servant.

"Oh King Henry, you have truly blinded yourself to God's light. I have never once sought to be king, nor do I know what destiny God has in store for me. All I know is that Brimir has commanded me, and I must carry out His Will. For too long, corruption and injustice have dominated this kingdom, and even all of Halkegenia! Under your rule, the teachings of Brimir have been tossed aside, and you sat upon your gilded throne believing that birth alone determined the right to rule. Content to live in luxury for yourself, you cared nothing for the people, extorting unreasonably high taxes and ignoring the pleas of your impoverished nobles!"

"Lies and slander! The taxes were necessary to recover from the ruinous war against Germania we fought only two decades ago! And I have listened to plenty of reasonable petitions, you people just demand the impossible! Yet Brimir sees all and it is _me_ who shall be favored today, for I have been a fair, just, and pious king!"

"Ridiculous! How can you claim to be pious after committing adultery and fathering a child with an elf! You dared to spurn the love of the Founder and seek pleasures of the flesh from the very enemies the Founder sacrificed everything to fight against! The same enemies who desire the death of all humans and the destruction of our civilization!"

The face of the old king turned white. "I…I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You still deny it? Your daughter would like to have a word with you. Created from blasphemy, you have cursed her with sin from the moment of her birth and doomed her to live with the features of an elf! Come, Tiffania! Your father may have tossed you to the furthest, darkest corner of the kingdom, but you have the right to let the world know who you really are!"

The king's mouth dropped open in shock as a hooded slim figure stepped out of the carriage near the front of the army group and was gently led by servants. They came to a stop beside Cromwell, and unfurled her hood to reveal a young woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and long sharp ears.

Gasps and shrieks could be heard all across the castle grounds. Many soldiers who were unaware of who was in the carriage instinctively took up defensive stances.

"Elf!"

* * *

**A/N**: A/N: This Cromwell is less of a tool than the one in the novels or show. But will that be enough to achieve his ambitions, especially with MC in the picture?

Also a reminder that there is now a Discord you can join to talk about the story and share ideas on certain questions/topics I am actively looking for ideas on. Check my profile for the link.

James317: There's actually a physics of the multiverse that was explained in the prequel to this story. The Worm Earths are all within their local reality cluster or plane, so they don't have access to "every" earth, just the ones within that plane. That's the same reason that tinkertech doesn't really work on Halkegenia, because the "wormvoid" which holds those parallel earths don't exist here.

Guest: Well, there's no denying that MC isn't a heroic, brave type, and he'll cower and hide behind girls if he thinks his chances aren't good. I'm rather surprised you read this far too if you didn't like that premise. He'll do something that's a significant departure from his usual MO next though, because he realizes that he can.

Taygunz00: Are you sure you're posting on the right story? I have no idea what you're talking about.

TheOnlyKing: Well, you were right not to expect it because he's not _really_ aiding the king.

ZhaWarudo: You know, technically he hasn't actually used Agate to assassinate anybody yet. That only happened in a discarded Coil timeline. But it is true he did a lot of spying, and I was also feeling that it was a fairly strong power despite MC thinking that he was a powerless human in the beginning.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed!


	18. SS 1 - To Secure Peace, Make War!

**Side Story 1 - To Secure Peace, Make War!**

Through a lull in the conversation, the princess sipped from her teacup, then swirled it around, gazing into the pool of liquid almost hypnotically before suddenly speaking up again.

"Forgive me if I overstep my bounds, but I can't help but feel you understand me better than any of my advisors could. The way you spoke of ruling and your people…it sounded like you were higher than just a duke or a count. Were you, perhaps…actually a king?"

"You are perceptive, princess. I was not quite a king, as the people did not know me as such and our system of government was different, but it is true that I was the highest sovereign authority in my lands. Forgive my manners, Ann. As one monarch to another, I ought not hide my face from you," I lied unashamedly, placing a hand to my heart and bowing my head in apology.

Well, in some sense it wasn't a complete lie. I did have exclusive access to several previously uninhabited parallel Earths back in Worm, where I could claim sovereignty by virtue of being the first to plant a flag there, as was the custom in human history. I just didn't have any living subjects to rule over and call me a king.

"Ah, please don't worry, I took no offense, and in any case, I'm not a Queen yet, I'm only a princess still," she said, standing up with a fluster and gesturing for me to stop.

"Nevertheless, allow me to introduce myself properly." My visor turned transparent, revealing my centrally heterochromatic eyes of red spiked pupils and silver irises. The gauntlet section of my Armoriont over my hands similarly retracted to show bare skin.

For thematic reasons, I had tried to modify my eyes with my Bionanite Swarm into a kaleidoscopic design to mess with people, but it didn't have the right effect so I settled with this instead.

"Kaleidus Axion, Imperator Maximus of the Kalos Eidos." I put my hand forward, and taking the cue, she offered her own hand out, which I then bent down to kiss.

"A pleasure to truly meet you…ah, forgive me if I am mispronouncing anything, but…Imperator Maximus? That almost sounds like Ancient Romalian. Someone who commands? I'm afraid I don't recognize the other words though," she said, staring curiously at my face.

"Hm, yes. An interesting coincidence in linguist development. But no need to start using titles again, Ann. Haven't we already agreed to use each other's names?"

"Yes, of course, Kaleidus. You look…much younger than I had imagined," she said, looking stunned. Then, as if thinking better of her words, her eyes glanced down as she added hurriedly, "I mean no offense. It's a little embarrassing to admit it, but I had pictured you as an old veteran. To learn that you we are not so far apart in age…it's humbling when comparing how little I've achieved."

I shrugged. "Great people rise from necessity. The measure of a person can only be taken when they meet that necessity, not before. Likewise, the people shall not remember how you spent your youth—only how you led them in times of crisis. That such a crisis has yet to appear should be taken as a blessing."

Then she put a finger to her chin, growing thoughtful. "Then, could I draw on your experience for a bit of advice?"

"Please, go ahead. It speaks well of you that you are eager to seek advice from others."

"Have you ever…um…been in love?" She asked with a bashful expression.

My eyebrows raised in surprise. "Love? Hm…I suppose I have. But I'm not sure I would be the best person to offer advice on such matters. My case is rather unusual." I had never loved anyone else, after all. But if Amelia was right, then perhaps my love for myself qualified.

"It's just, as rulers, how can we…? I mean, I love my people, and I understand that our ties represent that of the kingdom's," she spoke slowly. "But is it our destiny to sacrifice our personal happiness for the sake of the kingdom? Is it wrong to wish I could marry for love?"

I easily read her deep set worries. Around this time, Tristain should be in discussions with Germania for a marriage alliance. Her mother and the Regent were likely to be pushing for the alliance with the much bigger Germania to protect Tristain from Albion aggression, on the very valid assumption that Reconquista was going to win and continue their crusade beyond the island.

On its own, Tristain stood no chance. Albion's navy and wind stone supplies dwarfed everyone else's, and in this world, naval power wasn't just control of the seas, it was control of the skies and the ability to bombard everyone else below with impunity. Germania's larger land military could at least put up a resistance on the ground and Gallia had a decent navy of their own, but Tristain was overwhelmingly outmatched in army size, quantity of mages, and naval strength.

More heartbreaking for the princess was that her secret lover the Prince Wales of Tristain was obviously going to be eliminated as part of the civil war. She would have to betray him for another man and watch helplessly as he died.

"To marry for love…what a wonderful ideal. To even find love…is already a great blessing. If you've had that blessing, you should treasure those memories."

Ann blushed appropriately. "I have. Was it so obvious?"

I chuckled but didn't respond directly, and she only blushed harder. "Alas…a famous and very successful king in my home world once said, 'L'état, c'est moi!' To him, the state and the monarch were one and the same. What do you think it meant for his rule, if he was right?"

Her expression turned crestfallen. "So then…I must do what's best for the kingdom. The kingdom's prosperity…is my happiness."

I shook my head. "No. You are a very kind person to come to that conclusion. It was, in fact, the opposite. The man known as the Sun King of France was the greatest icon of absolute rule—absolute power vested in a single person. Every law, every judgement, every institution derived its authority from the king. His will was the kingdom's will. His happiness was the people's happiness. Wealth was poured into vainglorious monuments and lavish extravagances, while an inordinate amount of time was spent on complex rituals of etiquette."

Her eyes widened. "But that's…that sounds like a tyrant!"

"It sure does. Yet, the people loved him all the more for it. Where once there had been a country split by bickering nobles, religious divides, external influences…under his rule it transformed into a united force to carry out his will. The state's new efficiency generated more wealth and power than ever before. The vainglorious monuments left foreign dignitaries in awe to spread stories back to their homeland while their compatriots sent elsewhere were green in envy at the luxurious treatment the ambassadors received. The people admired his extravagances and sought to emulate his styles and manners, following the latest trends instead of going to church. The complicated new etiquette made the feuding nobles compete in showing off like peacocks instead of fighting with steel and intrigue. All across the continent, rulers saw the transformed state as an example to follow, a centre of enlightened ideas and superior culture. Their language became the universal language of international diplomacy and trade, as everyone wanted to appear cultured and part of the new elite. His influence lasted hundreds of years past his rule and he is still sometimes lauded as the greatest king France ever had."

Her mouth dropped, then closed. A long silence fell as she tried to process my words.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it?" I asked.

She nodded.

"The sad truth is that good intentions don't always produce the best results. Moreover, the people are fickle, and they don't always judge based on rational reasons or evidence. Louis the XVI, a later king, was perhaps among the kindest kings ever, very devout, forgiving to enemies, loving to family and subjects, and possessed great personal virtues, except perhaps competence. But instead of applauding his kindness and respectful way, people called him impotent for not forcing himself on his young wife or taking mistresses, they called him weak for feeling sorrow at his son's death, and they blamed him for all the problems other people caused in his name." I sighed again. "In the end, he was overthrown in a revolution and executed by the very people he tried so hard to help, some of whom were those ungrateful about being forgiven instead of shot for previous crimes." She gasped at this.

"Then, you think I should follow the Sun King's example? And…become a tyrant?" She said with a hard swallow.

"I'll tell you what I would do. Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice in pursuit of greater things. But in this case, that sacrifice is not worthwhile. I can't tell you whether it's right to pursue a selfish love, but I can tell you that I would not commit myself to an alliance, much less a marriage, with a partner such as Germania, seeking protection from one threat only to send myself and the kingdom into the mouth of another ravenous beast. That is what you're troubled by, is it not? A political marriage to secure an alliance hedging against Reconquista."

"How did you know?!" A stunned look crossed her face.

"It is obvious, when considering the balance of power in Halkegenia. Tristain is too weak to fight off Albion on its own, and if Reconquista is serious about reclaiming the Holy Land and reuniting all the Brimiric nations to do so, Tristain must be the next target. I have done my research on the local politics since arriving here."

"I—I see. Once again, I am humbled by your abilities. But then, what else can be done? My advisors say there is no other option."

"They are too narrow-minded, and motivated by the desire to protect themselves. They don't really care if Germania gains control of Tristain—after all, it's all the same to them if there's a different king on the throne, as long as their holdings and titles aren't affected. Albion is a threat because Reconquista will likely replace all the local nobility with new ones if they win a war with Tristain, rewarding those who fought."

With creased eyebrows, she nodded in understanding. "Yes, that makes sense. They've already done that in Albion, redistributing lands as they seized territory."

"To find a solution, first we need to identify the problem at the source. Tell me, why is Tristain in such a weak position? Why does Tristain need the help of Germania?"

After a short moment, she answered. "We are a small country, and both our army and navy are much smaller than Albion's. Germania is big and powerful."

"That is true, but consider this: geographically speaking, Albion is not much larger than Tristain. Their population is also similar. Why is it that Albion is so much more powerful, even after a devastating civil war tearing the country apart? Why, it almost seems like they've become stronger thanks to the civil war, instead of weaker."

A curious expression came over her. "That is…indeed puzzling. I had never thought deeply upon it. I know what Reconquista is saying though…they say that it's because they have the Founder's favor, and their leader is blessed with the lost power of Void."

"Do you believe it?"

"I don't know…my advisors think it's a lie, but if Louise is a void mage too, why couldn't Cromwell be one? Is he really a Void mage?"

"Despite what it seems, I don't know everything, Ann. I've never met the man…but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that he has a special power to rely on. It could be Void, an ancient artifact, or maybe even secret foreign support."

She drew a sharp breath. "You mean, another kingdom might be helping him? But who would do it?"

"Who could?"

"…Germania, Gallia…either of them would have the resources. Even Romalia, if they gave him powerful artifacts," she murmured.

I nodded approvingly. "Very good. But in truth there is a simpler answer, without speculating of such things we have no evidence for yet. Let us approach this from another perspective. It was not so long ago that Tristain fought a war against Germania. That war did not end in Tristain's conquest, or even in any ceded territory. What is different now, that Tristain feels victory is impossible against the much smaller Albion?"

"Our treasury was exhausted in that war, and many good mages died. We just don't have the same experienced veterans and armies anymore. Even Duchess la Vallière, the hero of that war, is no longer in her prime," the princess said sadly.

"Is that what Duchess la Vallière herself says, or what your advisors told you?"

"…my advisors. Duchess la Vallière has assured the Queen and Regent that she is as strong as she always was…but even they don't fully believe it."

"I thought so. And has anyone asked the Duchess whether she thought Tristain could win a war against Albion?"

"She has made her opinion clear a few times at court. But none of the other nobles are so optimistic. Mother thinks it is just false bravado."

"None of the other nobles, hm? And who told you Tristain hasn't recovered from the last war? Who must raise armies for Tristain's military when it is time to fight?"

"The nobles. Almost all of them say they haven't recovered their losses."

"But is that really true? Would Tristain be able to fight back better against Albion, if it were right after the war with Germania? Wouldn't it be worse to fight a second war without any time to recover at all? Wouldn't you at least recover a little by having two decades of peace?"

"…that's true…"

"But somehow, Albion is stronger immediately after a war, and Tristain is weaker despite having had a long time to recover. According to the nobles, this is because they just haven't recovered enough. Do you see anything wrong with that?"

Slowly, she nodded. "…yes. So the nobles are…lying?"

"You could say that. In reality, I don't think Tristain can't fight back. I think the nobles just don't _want_ to fight. Except Duchess la Vallière, who is loyal to a fault and ready to fight for the Crown anytime."

"But, why? Protecting the kingdom is their duty!"

I shook my head and placed a hand on her shoulder with a sympathetic look. "The Crown is not strong enough to rally the nobles to its cause. They don't see you, or the Regent, as a strong enough ruler. And obviously, it doesn't help that the treasury hasn't been managed well. I would venture to guess that the Crown was unable to raise the necessary taxes because, again, your nobles protested. Even now, the nobles know that if a war is fought, the Crown will need to raise taxes to pay for it. From them. The nobles are unwilling to fight, when they see an easier solution to keep their possessions. By selling you, and the kingdom, out to Germania."

"They…they…even Cardinal Mazarin…?" She looked lost and hurt as she bit her lips.

"The Cardinal was a man of the church first, before he became a statesman. Without meeting him, I could be wrong, but I doubt he really understands the subtleties of court politics. I imagine he naively believes that Germania might actually follow through on the alliance instead of taking advantage of it to take over."

"Ah…yes, I think he does believe that. I've always thought he was a good man at heart, even though he can be quite overbearing sometimes," she said with a hint of relief. Then she grew worried again. "But what can I do about the nobles? If you can deduce so much so quickly, you must have a solution in mind, right?"

I took my hand off her shoulders and sighed, then walked to the window and looked outside at the beautiful plains.

She walked to join me and looked almost pleading as she gently reached for my arm. "Kaleidus? After all you've taught me, you must have a solution…"

"I do have a solution, but you won't like it. You won't like it at all, I'm afraid. You are far too kind to be the kind of person willing to do what is necessary."

Now both hands were clutched onto my arm. "Kaleidus, please! If there's a way, I have to try! I won't shy away from what needs to be done!"

"Are you sure?" I asked intensely.

She nodded. "Yes. Even if I must become like that man…the Sun King. I'll do it."

I set one comforting hand down over her hands that were holding onto me. She looked embarrassed all of a sudden and tried to let go, but nevertheless, I kept hold of one of her hands as I spoke.

"The answer is simple, even if not easy. To secure peace, you must make war."

Her eyes grew wide. "To secure peace, I must make war?" She repeated slowly, as if unsure she heard correctly.

I nodded very seriously. "That's correct. The peace bought through appeasement or kneeling to a different master is a lie. I'm sure you already realize that. Any such peace would only be temporary, and easily broken at the whims of the one who holds your shackles."

"Yes, I do realize that. But to secure peace through war…? I don't understand…"

"To achieve a lasting, true, peace, you must be more willing and ready to fight than anyone else. War against Albion, war against the traitorous nobility, war against _any_ who would threaten your vision of peace for Tristain! You must rouse the hearts of those who love Tristain as much as you do, and rally them under your banner. Instead of sacrificing yourself for the people, you must share with them your dreams and lead them into battle, so that they shall follow your majestic trail and sacrifice their lives for you gladly in a blaze of glory! Let every person in the realm hear your call to arms, let all of Halkegenia see your conviction, let the founder witness your pledge to fight until your last breath! Let the kingdom become as a porcupine that cannot be swallowed without catastrophically wounding whosoever dares to eat it. When your enemies realize that to fight Tristain is to fight until the last man, woman, or child standing, that every inch they gain shall be paid with a river of blood, that victory over Tristain is but defeat by a different name, then no matter how aggressive their leaders and generals may be, their very soldiers shall lose their spirit to fight knowing that they are committed to a meaningless death against foes that fight like men possessed in every street, alley, and corner of Tristain! Because the winner of a war is not the one who has the bigger army, but the one who is willing to endure the greater suffering and continue fighting!"

She looked horrified by the vision as she held her one free hand to her open mouth, and I felt her other hand tremble.

"Is that…really…a better way? To ask so many people to die for the kingdom?"

"If you desire true peace, then yes. It is a well studied and profound principle from my homeworld. The country that first developed it rose to become the world's foremost power for a time, until they grew arrogant and horribly overextended as they tried to conquer the whole world. We called this principle achieving a national 'Élan!'"

After a long moment of silence, she repeated quietly with a questioning tone, "A national spirit…?"

"Exactly. The people will not only die for you gladly, they will even praise you for it. The same thing happened eventually to every country in my world."

"Would they really be so eager to die? I can scarcely imagine it. How do I convince the people to fight for me, let alone fight with such spirit? And who could I even ask to help me fight all the nobles?" A shadow of doubt remained on her face, but by asking how, she was already showing signs of considering it seriously.

"There's no need to fight all the nobles, nor can you get rid of them of all, you still need some of them alive to administrate the government. Fortunately, many of them will agree to follow you."

"But, I thought you said they didn't want to fight Albion."

"Because there was an easier and safer option. But if there weren't? If the only alternative was a civil war that's no safer or easier? If they see that you are ready to go to war against them to force them to obey, most will quickly change their tune when they realize you are not so easily manipulated."

"I'm not so sure about that…What if they decide to overthrow me instead? Like Reconquista did in Albion."

"You also have a secret weapon you can use against them."

"Huh?"

"Their children. These young idealistic students here will be much more receptive to your call to arms. They already idolize you. If you tell them your dreams and fears, tell them frankly that war is coming and many selfish nobles have cowardly betrayed the kingdom and made secret deals with Reconquista to secure their own safety—but don't name anyone in particular—then ask them to help you defend the country, most will sign up in a heartbeat."

"Eh? But to ask students to fight a war…"

I smirked. "Don't worry, you won't really need them to fight. I tell you this, if you get to them first: none of them will believe that their own families are among the traitors. But when they proudly write home about joining your army and their parents try to rein them in instead of praising them, they will be disillusioned and shocked, and suspect all on their own that their family is among the traitors you didn't name. Peer pressure and shame will do the rest. They will grow even more fervently loyal to you. At which point, their families will face an impossible choice. Fighting you would mean fighting their own children who are convinced that they are secretly traitors. And so many will simply fold to your will. When your support base grows large enough, the last holdouts will probably give up and fall into line. In the end, you won't have to fight the nobles at all."

Her eyes grew wide and I could see that she was coming around. "This plan…it's…"

"Genius?"

She looked away abashedly. "I admit, it is rather clever…and devious."

"It is just a suggestion, Ann. You asked for a solution, and this is the best one I can think of."

"I suppose I should thank you then. I will certainly think hard on it."

The Cardinal Mazarin of France was a great statesman that left a powerful framework of a strong centralized state for the Sun King to inherit and expand.

The Mazarin of Tristain was a far cry from his Earth counterpart, struggling to keep the Crown afloat.

Would Henrietta be able to take a more interesting path with my advice? Only time would tell.

Either way, it didn't hurt to gain influence over the heir to the throne. After all, it was a much faster way to political power, if I wanted it, than trying to climb the ranks of nobility normally.

* * *

A/N: This canon side story took place back at the Academy when the MC met the princess for the first time and talked over tea after playing music for her. A rare occasion in which the MC did something without a specific long-term plan involved, but just for fun, more or less.

superpierce: It should be an interesting surprise, and really show why this sequel is called "Rising". Stay tuned!

ZhaWarudo: I'm not sure that canonically Myoz was able to shut off the ring, but certainly she has many other tools she can use.

Chryseum: You could say it's a plot device, but it's also because I think its less interesting if the MC always has that advantage of metaknowledge. MC's knowledge isn't quite the first two volumes - it's a mishmash of ideas and things from canon and non-canonical sources like fanfiction that he apparently read before leaving Earth. Even in Worm, he never actually had complete metaknowledge, it was just much deeper than FoZ. As for Tiffania...well, you're right, but he didn't care enough about it to change his plans at the Academy. In his mind it was just a sidequest to be done at his leisure, and didn't expect Reconquista to find out Matilda had betrayed them. He still doesn't know how Myoz knew Miss Longueville's identity to be Fouquet.

TheOnlyKing: That's good, because that's what I was going for.

The130thunit: I'll do my best, but I can make no promises about Incarnation of White. It wasn't received as well as most of my other stories, and I also got bored of the Worm setting in general for writing fanfics. There's only so much you can do in Brockton Bay with the same enemies before it starts feeling repetitive, and I don't like to rehash the canon storyline. It's unfortunately relatively low on my priorities. I do still like the concept though...


	19. 18 - Long Live the Emperor!

**18 – Long Live the Emperor!**

"Father, will you deny me even now? Or am I just a mistake you'd rather forget?" Her voice was soft and filled with a palpable sorrow.

"What is—what is going on!? What have you done to her, Cromwell?!" The King shouted in anger and confusion.

Cromwell shook his head and gave the King a piteous look. "I have done nothing but do as the Founder commanded, to rescue her from the life of destitution you put her in. Tiffania may be born of blasphemy, but she nevertheless has the blood of Brimir flowing through her and is a princess of Albion. She ought to be treated as such, not abandoned and left to fend for herself with no guidance in Brimir's Gift and forced to live in conditions even commoners would be appalled at. The responsibility for the sin of her birth rests not with her, who had no choice in being born, but with _you_, King Henry, who chose willingly to lay with an elf."

Murmurs broke out among the onlookers and many calmed down after the initial shock of having an elf in their midst. On the side of Reconquista, most found the Lord Protector's logic reasonable, even if they still instinctively wanted to kill her on sight or flee in terror.

"Is that so? Is that how you feel too, Tiffania?" The King asked after he carefully turned his face blank.

"I don't hate you father. I hate what I am but I can learn to live with it. But as Lord Cromwell says, I don't wish to be hidden away anymore. The sins of the past can only be atoned for after accepting that they happened," said Tiffania.

"Haha…hahaha!" The King suddenly laughed, and he covered his face as the laughter became an uncontrollable, deranged laughter. Nobody understood what the King found hilarious about this situation.

"It seems he has gone mad," Cromwell said with an expression of disgust.

"_CROMWELL!_" The King roared thunderously. "Whatever lies you've fed her, at least you won't be able to keep it up after I cut off your tongue and take your head today! By the Founder, Tiffania your birth was _not_ a sin! Your mother was a wonderful woman and I loved her with all my heart, just as I love you! Not all elves are our enemies! Many are peaceful and would rather put an end to the millennia of pointless conflict! They don't want to kill all humans, and why should we continue to fight and die to take back some mythical Holy Land without even a reason other than that the Founder said so thousands of years ago? How does anyone know if the Founder still wants us to do it after all these failures? Shouldn't he have delivered to us victory already if that's what he truly wanted?! I believe that none of our crusades have been successful because the Founder doesn't want us to win! He wants us to make peace!"

"So now you openly admit to being a heretic! Look closely men, this is the true face of your king!"

The faces of the Reconquista soldiers looked grim, and some disbelieving, as if they had only now understood the character of their king.

Cromwell continued, making grand gestures with his hands. "But fear not, the will of the Founder is with me! Today, He will deliver me victory in this duel, tomorrow, He will deliver us a glorious victory as we take back the Holy Land!"

Both men drew their wands while Tiffania quickly stepped back.

As according to the tradition of officiated dueling, a handkerchief was dropped by a 3rd person outside of the duelists' sight. Then, each of their chosen seconds shouted to begin when the handkerchief hit the ground.

The king moved swiftly and started casting a blast of wind at Cromwell, who instead of dodging like most mages, apparently cast some sort of counter spell that blocked and dispersed the incoming attack.

More wind blasts of increasing size and power were launched by the king, until it turned into a massive barrage of blasts. Although individually they were not particularly powerful, in sheer quantity and speed the king was outcasting most mages and would have made it impossible to dodge.

Cromwell continued to disperse the spells, then manifested a thin barrier of water in front of him. The barrier was not very solid and a hole appeared every time a blast hit, but it also regenerated just as fast so nothing got through it.

Then a vortex of air formed in front of the king, and it rapidly fired more of the air blasts without him having to continue to actively cast each one. Every blast reduced the size of the vortex slightly, so it would run out in a few moments.

The King, thinking that he held the advantage before Cromwell could find an opening to counterattack, decided to pull out his secret trump card.

"Pentagon"-class magic.

This was one of two techniques passed down exclusively in the royal houses of the Brimic kingdoms, which allowed for casting a spell comparable to Square-class magic without being able to stack four elements in the normal way.

The other was known as "Hexagon"-class magic, which achieved something similar but required two mages of Triangle class to pull off.

These techniques were an important reason the royal houses stayed in power even when they didn't always produce Square-class mages, allowing them to have an answer to direct magical challenges from the strongest of nobles.

With Pentagon magic, a royal mage could cast a delayed magic of Triangle class, by forming the first two elements but not completing the third, then casting a full Triangle class magic. The delayed spell could then be manipulated to combine with the full powered Triangle spell, with the fully formed three-element stack taking the place of the incomplete third element of the delayed spell structure.

Once combined, the resulting spell wouldn't be as powerful as a theoretical true five-element stack spell which was not known to be possible, but it would be comparable to a Square class spell in potency.

First the king reached into his robes and took out a vial of red liquid. It was his own blood, which was required as a medium to cast Pentagon magic. This was a key reason that Pentagon magic hadn't been exposed to the nobility as a whole and learned as a common technique. Aside from the secrecy, there was in fact a difference between the royal lineage and the other nobles, just as there was a natural born difference between nobles and commoners.

There was power in their blood, inherited from their ancestors and from Brimir himself. And like magic in general, the inherited strength of that power wasn't solely dependent on the inborn talent of their parents whom they inherited it from, but also from the magical strength of the parents at the moment they conceived the child.

This meant that if the royals did not actively practice and use the Pentagon and Hexagon magics, their descendants would find it harder to use them. Correspondingly, even if the royal line intermarried with powerful noble families and produced children who legally became part of the noble house instead of the royal house, the strength of the special royal power would fade dramatically within a few generations if they never learned how to use it, and so their descendants would be significantly weaker than the main royal line.

He shattered the vial with a strong grip and started incanting.

Soon all the mages present could feel the power thrumming in the air. An enormously powerful spell was about to be cast.

From King Henry's position, four miniature tornados began to form and spread out, surrounding Cromwell.

Static charge crackled in the air and yet Cromwell appeared unable to respond as he continued to block the relentless assault of air bullets.

Finally, the king started a new set of incantations and prepared to fully combine the Pentagon structure.

Suddenly he stopped mid-incantation and his face went slack for a moment. The tornados petered out as if the spell powering them lost cohesion.

When the king came back to his senses, he looked around in confusion while Cromwell smiled, walking forward as the air blasts had expired.

"What's wrong, King Henry? Was all that just for show? You had us all thinking you were about to cast a big spell," said Cromwell.

The king tried to incant another quick spell, but again his mind seemed to blank before Cromwell seemed much closer than before.

"Oh? It seems that your magic is failing, King Henry. I can see that you are casting, but nothing is happening," said Cromwell.

A wave of whispers broke out among the watching crowd.

"What, what is this?!" The King demanded while pointing his wand at Cromwell. "What did you do?!"

Cromwell shook his head and sighed. "King Henry, you still don't understand? Magic is the Gift of the Founder! And the Founder has deemed fit to take it away from you in the middle of this duel. There can be no clearer sign than that! You are no longer fit to be the king of Albion!"

"That's impossible, you lie! You did something!" King Henry shouted and again tried to cast, only for the same thing to happen. It was like his mind shut off temporarily as soon as he tried to cast anything, and he woke up again to find his spell had failed.

"This duel goes to me by the will of the Founder! May the Founder find forgiveness for you in the next life, King Henry!"

With a swish of his wand, a streak of high pressure water formed in the air in front of Cromwell, then it whipped across the king's throat, then slashed again several times across his chest and waist.

The king stayed upright for only a moment, shock and bitterness plain on his face as blood spurted like a fountain from all the cut areas, before crumpling to the ground.

Seconds passed in silence as if the crowd couldn't comprehend the sudden conclusion to the duel.

Then someone started clapping, and like clockwork the rest took the cue and began to cheer. Except for the royal knights, who looked to be in despair.

Some mages went to check over the body of the king and confirmed that he was dead. Then the cheering continued unabated for nearly half an hour.

Many more men filed onto the castle grounds as the royalists fully surrendered, while the body of the king remained there in clear sight of all, as evidence of the duel.

Cromwell then addressed his troops.

"The war is finally over! Let it be known that we, Reconquista, have won by the clear will of the Founder!"

Then just as he opened his mouth to continue speaking, he stopped. "Hm?" He looked up slightly and gasped.

Then he bowed deeply. "You honor me with your presence, O' Founder!"

The troops looked around in confusion as nobody could see anything there.

"Of course, your will is my command!" Cromwell then got up and turned back to the body of the dead king. He knelt down and put his hands together, speaking a few prayers.

Then he held his hand out to the body and whispered something indiscernible.

Suddenly, the blood on the ground started flowing in reverse, going back into the king's body, and the wounds he had suffered rapidly regenerated.

Cromwell stood up and waited as the dead body came back to life.

There was a deafening silence as the onlookers watched the impossible happen before their eyes.

The former bishop-turned-revolutionary broke the silence with a loud and clear voice.

"King Henry, the Founder has decided that to atone for your sins, you can earn salvation by fighting on crusade to the Holy Land. As such, I have used the power of the Void given to me by the Founder, to resurrect you so that you may serve the Founder once more. Having witnessed the will of the Founder first hand in our duel, and now through the power of the Void, do you now understand the error of your ways and accept the Founder's very generous offer?"

The king looked at him for a moment, then looked at himself. He touched his throat in disbelief.

"I'm alive? That's impossible!"

"King Henry, you've said that many times today. But I must correct you, impossible things become quite possible when the Founder desires it be so."

"But you killed me! I was dead! I know I was dead! I _saw_ things! I was on the other side!"

"So you were, but then, the power of the Void is a miraculous thing. More importantly, do you want to _stay_ dead, and go back to the hell that awaits you? Or earn salvation by fighting in the name of the Founder?"

"I…" The king seemed to hesitate, looking around. The troops watched quietly, but more than a few of them seemed to be in awe. Even General Fairfax's eyes looked like they were popping out of their sockets and his hands were shaking on his horse saddle.

After a moment, the former king Henry seemed to make up his mind. "I understand. I accept. I shall join you and the Founder on this crusade. From this day forth, I am no longer the king of Albion, but just another soldier under your command, Regent."

"No, not Regent, Henry. The Founder has finally revealed His plan for me. Not only shall we crusade to take the Holy Land, Reconquista must unite _all_ of Halkegenia to do so! When we attack the heathen elves, all those who believe in the Founder must come together as one! Nobles, commoners, it doesn't matter who they are, as long as they trust in the Founder!"

Cromwell gestured grandly with his hands.

"There shall no longer be separate kingdoms ruled by kings and queens squabbling for land and petty arguments among themselves! Instead, there shall be a single republic governed by a council of the most worthy and talented nobles, chosen by all the faithful of the Founder! Therefore, as the holy duty assigned to us by the Founder, we must spread the revolution to every corner of Halkegenia, and establish a single, holy, revolutionary _empire _of the Founderthat shall last for ten thousand years! And it is _my_ duty to lead us onward as the Emperor of the Republic of Holy Albion!"

"I—I see. Very well then, long live Emperor Cromwell of the Republic of Holy Albion!" The king was the first to kneel and bow.

Soon, the troops all began to kneel and bow.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

A great fervor took hold of the crowd gathered as they screamed and cheered.

"Long live the Republic of Holy Albion!"

"Long live the Republic of Holy Albion!"

Again, and again, the cheering continued unabated.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Revolution!"

"Long live the ten thousand year empire!"

Each time somebody came up with a new slogan, yet another wave of cheers erupted.

Cromwell smiled gleefully as he took in the moment of his complete and total victory.

Everything that he had worked for in the past years had finally borne fruit.

The first step toward a new era.

Then his head exploded into a shower of blood.

Simultaneously, the resurrected king Henry dropped like a puppet with his strings cut.

A black dot descended from the sky like a meteor while a blur of loud cracking and popping sounds could be heard.

Dragon Knights patrolling in the air fell down not even having had a glimpse of what killed them before they died, leaving their familiars to rage in confusion and sorrow.

General Fairfax quickly barked out orders for water mages to get to the newly proclaimed emperor and for his troops to form a protective perimeter.

But like the Dragon Knights, the men who tried to get near the wounded—dead?—emperor were struck by unknown means and dropped like flies.

"What the hell is attacking us?!" General Fairfax yelled out.

That question was soon answered as ten round white flying things that looked like large multi-legged metallic insects swooped down and unleashed a storm of bullets on the unprepared troops even as they dropped small objects which exploded only to release apparently nothing visible.

Some mages tried to counterattack but they flew far too fast and were too agile to be targeted effectively—or at all, as they found out.

By the time some of the mages realized they were getting shot by gunfire and could shield against it with wind spells, hundreds of men already lay dead on the ground.

The bullets were being fired at an impossible speed, as if each of the white flying things were an army unto themselves, the equivalent of a thousand men firing muskets all at once in every direction, with extreme precision better than even the greatest of veteran marksmen.

In the midst of the chaos, the falling black dot from the sky finally came into view then hit the ground with a tremendous impact next to where Cromwell lay prone in a mess of blood, revealing a black armored figure that the royal knights recognized.

A tiny cylindrical object dropped onto the ground. Shortly after, a flash of light and an intensely loud bang blinded and deafened everyone who was looking in that direction, hiding whatever the figure intended to do.

By the time their vision cleared, the black knight hovered in the air, looking down on the soldiers below, while the ten flying objects circled around him.

"Oliver Cromwell is dead!" The black knight announced in a booming voice.

"How dare you!" General Fairfox thundered, pointing his wand at the new enemy, fighting off nausea from seeing afterimages and phantom ringing in his ears. "Why have you done this?! Who are you?!"

The voice that rang out next was one that carried a strange weight, as if the words themselves were filled with power, and the sound echoed in the air.

"_**I AM VOIDSTARTER, DREAMBREAKER! I AM LIGHTBEARER, DARKBRINGER! I AM HE WHO SEES BEYOND! I AM MUURLETH, PRINCE OF DUALITY, LORD OF THE INFINITE**__!" _

The newly named Muurleth then waved his hand towards the troops below. "And all of you will now obey _me_ as the supreme authority of this land!"

"Ridiculous! You just killed the man ordained by the Founder to be our emperor! What makes you think we'd agree to bow down to you?! You should be executed for your crime!"

A deep rumbling chuckle reverberated in the air. "Executed? Why don't you give it a try then?"

"Gladly! Everyone, attack!"

With that, the general started to incant a spell, only to find himself unable to move, let alone wave his wand, before he promptly collapsed onto the ground, his muscles refusing to listen.

Numerous cries followed and his eyes roamed around to see every other soldier similarly fallen and struggling to move, some even making strange moaning and gurgling sounds as if their mouths couldn't move properly either.

"What's wrong, General? Weren't you going to attack? Execute me for my crimes?" The mocking voice of Muurleth reached his ears once more.

"What devilish magic is this?!" Fairfax shouted with outrage.

"Pathetic! Your deceased leader was no prophet! He was but a charlatan! Or do you think that this too, is the will of your God? That all of you are powerless against me now? Magic is the Gift of your Founder, is that not what Cromwell claimed? So where is your magic then? Where is your God that should smite me for the terrible sin of killing his messenger?"

Against the piercing words of Muurleth, Fairfax could find no response, and neither could his men.

He had thought to witness the power of the Founder's Void today, and he did witness it…or so he thought. But if Cromwell truly was blessed by the Founder, how could he have been killed so easily? How was it that this total unknown could come in and crush them all with barely any effort, and even seemingly inflicting the same condition on them that afflicted the former king of Albion during the duel against Cromwell?

Without their magic, without their wands, without being able to even move, they were powerless! Sure, some mages knew how to cast wandless magic, but purely mental magic casting was almost unheard of. Even the wandless, silent kind needed certain movements or other mediums to aid in casting.

"It seems you are finally starting to understand. Your God was a lie from the beginning, or it has abandoned you. Your leader was a fake and your cause was only the ambition of a man who used you for his own ends! The power of the Void? Resurrecting the dead? Nothing more than a trick, puppeteering a body without a soul that instantly failed as soon as the caster couldn't maintain the spell! All worthless in the face of true power!"

At his words, the attention of everyone went to the now obviously dead again King Henry of Albion. Although no injuries or blood reappeared on the body, that was all the more damning, for it meant that Muurleth had not simply killed him a second time.

"Now that your leaders are dead, and all of you are defeated, by the right of conquest, by your principle that _magic_ is _nobility_ and therefore the strongest magic is the most noble, _I_ am your new ruler!"

With that, Muurleth flew down and landed in front of Fairfax.

Then he grabbed onto the general and lifted him up by his plated neck cuff in the air with one hand.

"And you will _submit_, or you will _die!_" The self-proclaimed strongest mage squeezed the armor plate, and Fairfax felt his throat getting constricted as the armor bent unnaturally under the incredible strength being exerted.

With his other hand, the black knight lifted the general's helmet and forcibly took it off, tossing it aside to reveal the aged grey-haired veteran underneath. He moved closer to the general's face until they could be mistaken for kissing from the wrong angle.

"What will it be, General?" The soft voice that spoke up close now was both mocking and insidious, with an airy, distorted nature that hinted at something distinctly inhuman behind the ominous black helmet and blazing red lights glaring out from what should have been eye holes.

The old veteran couldn't help but feel chills running down his whole body as he stared into those terrible, angry lights.

His back shook with a feeling he hadn't felt for a very, very long time.

Fear.

Of this strange being and its strange powers.

Of impossible things happening on this day that he never could've even imagined.

But most of all, of the sinister idea growing in his mind that perhaps…the Founder had truly abandoned them, for having believed in a false prophet and rebelling against the legitimate king of Albion, committing countless atrocities in their wake.

Why else would this "Muurleth" suddenly appear, with hundreds of mages, and even more commoner soldiers, rendered powerless in mere seconds under the strength of but a single, impossibly strong being?

The pressure on his throat relaxed, then the dark being asked again. "Your answer, then?"

With a hard swallow, the general said, "I…submit. Lord Muurleth."

"Louder, General. Let your men hear your decision, loud and clear!"

Fairfax gritted his teeth before he shouted. "I, General Thomas Fairfax, chief commander of the Reconquista armed forces, by the authority vested in me as the highest ranking officer after the death of the Lord Protector Cromwell, do unconditionally surrender and acknowledge that Lord Muurleth is the true, legitimate, ruler of all Albion! Long Live Emperor Muurleth!"

A dark chuckle escaped from Muurleth. "Very good, very good!" Then he—it—continued to laugh to the heavens even as it carelessly tossed the general on the ground again like worthless garbage.

"I will be back, General Fairfax. When I return, I expect you and your men to be ready for further orders. If there is any dissent in the rest of the kingdom, you would do well to quell it before I must take matters into my own hands."

Then Muurleth slowly hovered back into the air and turned around, apparently just leaving the rest of them there.

Fairfax cursed quietly and hoped that whatever spell Muurleth had ensnared them in would pass quickly, he had landed in an incredibly uncomfortable position and still couldn't move any of his muscles.

But if Muurleth was truly leaving them, perhaps there was yet hope…

Yes, Muurleth might've defeated his forces at the castle, but they still had a much larger army spread out occupying the whole kingdom, and most of the deaths in this battle by his guess looked to be of the commoner soldiers and demi-humans. For whatever reason, Muurleth seemed to avoid fatal damage to the mages, perhaps because he intended to use them as his army in the future.

All they had to do was regroup, muster the most elite forces, analyze the battle, and come up with a strategy. Why, they still had a grand fleet, the Lexington, and the most powerful cannons in the world. If they could just find the right opportunity, they could blast Muurleth into smithereens—

"Ah yes, before I forget," Muurleth came back down suddenly and hovered over Fairfax. "Make sure none of your subordinates get any funny ideas just because I'm not here."

Then he flew up and around and boomed in a loud voice. "Look closely and carefully, soldiers! I am a fair ruler, but unlike the weak former king of Albion, I can and will obliterate anyone who dares to challenge my rule! And, as the symbol of rebellion, the Lexington must be destroyed! Therefore, watch closely, and let all of Albion know, any who dare to raise the hand of rebellion again under _my_ rule, shall meet the same fate. Behold!"

Then, he made a grasping gesture towards the Lexington in the distance which was floating in the air in formation at the head of ten other ships only a couple of kilometers outside the castle's outer perimeter. His hand slowly tightened into the shape of a fist, even as he spoke a guttural, deeply unnatural, incantation. "_Ghaagznafar din talukgar!"_

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then the unthinkable followed.

A streak of something tore through the sky faster than sound, too quick and too small to be visible—

A bright flash of light—

A thunderous boom and a tremendous shockwave—

General Fairfax and the other paralyzed soldiers could only watch in horror as an enormous fireball engulfed the entire capital ship and all of the ships near it. Burning debris fell out of the sky like a rain of meteors.

Even on the ground, at such a distance, they felt the gale winds created by the enormous explosion buffeting their faces.

"Burn this image into your minds, and know that I, Muurleth, now reign supreme in this land!"

With that, Muurleth finally flew away, leaving the soldiers to lament their fates.

As the minutes passed, not only the soldiers at the castle, but all the residents of Newcastle, the troops aboard the many other ships which had participated in the siege, and even people from other cities tens of kilometres away, all witnessed a sight that would be spoken of in terror for years to come.

As if leaving indisputable proof that the Lexington had been annihilated by Muurleth, a massive dark mushroom cloud formed in the aftermath of the explosion, towering high into the heavens, with a ring of smoke expanding horizontally outwards.

"Founder save us…!" Fairfax sobbed pitifully as he finally understood, that they simply couldn't—couldn't _afford to_—fight this demon.

O O O

**A/N: **In case it wasn't clear, MC took the Ring of Andvari when he released the flashbang.

The130thunit: So Incarnation of White just got updated. I read it and was like, this is so good, I need more! And there were no chapters left :(. And apparently I'm the author, so I wrote some more.

SalemTheSpeakerOfTruth: Very true. Although, perhaps he doesn't need to escape if it gets conquered, if he ends up being the one doing the conquering after the events of this chapter.

Belomor: Sometimes they do revolt against harsh rulers, but those usually get put down before they get anywhere.

OoOXylionOoO: If you're asking whether the MC got upgraded between the last chapter of the prequel in Worm and the first chapter here, then no, he didn't. Everything he has, he had when he left Worm, but he did get a number of upgrades in preparation to leave, courtesy of Araliac and Cranial.

Chryseum: Maybe not purposefully as she is the heir apparent and has been that way since she was born. She was probably taught lots but Halkegenia as a whole might have developed differently on theories of statecraft and rulership. It's rather incredible that Brimir's descendants have maintained their rule over the 3 kingdoms for 8,000 years as the royal families, if going by canon.

TheOnlyKing: ^_^...maybe.


	20. 19 - Water Stone

**19 – Water Stone**

**[Kaleidus]**

After the battle at Newcastle, I retreated with the AAPV to a secluded spot to experiment in peace.

The Ring of Andvari was held in my hand. All along the flight, I could almost feel it calling out to me, waiting for a new master to take a hold of it. At the same time, it contradictorily felt cold and distant, as if it didn't want to show itself.

'Agate, stay alert. I'm going to try it on,' I thought.

'I'm with you, as always,' she thought back.

Through our mental link, Agate could take control of my nervous system and force me to take off the ring if this went badly.

'Remember I can't stop you from shutting me out though, now that you've got a magic circuit. If you get taken over and they figure out how to do it, I won't be able to do anything. Or a powerful enough magic might even take me over too.'

'You'll just have to be quick about it then. I trust you. You were made by Zelretch, after all. If something can take you over as well, then at least we lost to a worthy opponent.'

'OK! YOLO!' She conjured up the image of a V-sign.

Actually, I was quite wary of any potential traps. I could joke about it with Agate, but in reality, I was not ready to have my journey end here.

"Derflinger, you there?" I pulled him out of his sheath.

"Yeah. You gonna try that on?"

"I am. Is it safe?"

"Don't look at me. I'm no expert."

"Well, you've got more experience than me, at least. Any tips?"

"Try touching it to me."

I brought the ring to the flat of the blade. Derflinger hummed for a moment.

"Hoooly, this thing is actually a water stone! Haha, I take back what I said about the Water Spirit. There's no way she'll tell you anything!"

"What do you mean? What's a water stone anyway? Is it like the water version of wind stones?" I asked.

"Pretty much. There's stones for every element, except probably Void. Water's the rarest of them all though. Fire's second. Most people have probably never even heard of those two. Earth is relatively less common, but the nobles do use them. Wind stones can be found everywhere. I couldn't tell you why it's like that, but I can tell you that the rarer the stone, the more powerful it is. But you can tell already, can't you? The magic in this is on a different level from wind stones. And it's damn big too. You'd be lucky to find one the size of a grain of coarse sand, and the Water Spirit would fight you to hell and back for that, let alone a stone this big."

Looking closely at the ring, I could see the blue crystal on it was a pebble like round shape nearly a centimeter in diameter and half a centimeter thick. Compared to a grain of sand, it must have been at least a hundred times larger.

"Why is that? Why's it so important?"

"Because Great Spirits like her are born from a sufficiently large mass of smaller spirits and colossal amounts of magical energy. But before they become Great Spirits, the energy slowly accumulates over many thousands of years into these stones. So this thing is actually like a baby Great Water Spirit. It's not really alive or going to turn into a new Great Spirit anytime soon, especially out of water, but you get my point. If this belonged to the Water Spirit of Ragdorian Lake, she'll think of it as part of herself, so there's no way she'll tell you anything about how to use it. Remember that these stones are a limited resource. When it runs out of magic energy, it goes poof. She's not going to let that happen. You'd have a hard enough time convincing her to give up a single tear, which is also technically a part of her body, and this could be worth hundreds or even thousands of tears."

"That sounds pretty impressive. I assume the Water Spirit's tears are a rare reagent the nobles here use?" I did seem to remember something of the sort when Saito visited the Water Spirit in the story.

"Oh it's more than impressive. This really is a treasure beyond measure. I can't believe Myozunitonirun would even give it to somebody else. They must be a newbie, an idiot, or arrogant fool that thought they could take it back easily. I'd freely admit that this stone might well be more valuable than me. Heck, I'd trade me for one of these. Partner, you really lucked out on this one."

"So any idea how to use it? And there's no trap right?"

"No traps that I can see. Mind you, I already told you I'm not an expert. If there is a trap set by Myozunitonirun of all people, I probably can't find it anyway. As for using it, try to see if the spirits inside can help you out. There should be enough to at least understand you and do what you want, even if it won't be able to speak to you like I can."

"Alright then, I'm putting it on. If there is a trap, please use your ability to take over my body and remove it from my finger."

"Sure."

As one last precaution, I started cycling magical energy through my magic circuit.

Then I put the ring onto my left index finger.

As soon as I did so, I felt myself connect to an incomprehensibly great power.

I had the impression of an entire ocean being condensed onto my hand, but the impression soon faded into no more than a minor presence in the back of my mind.

'Doesn't look like it's doing anything to your mind yet,' Agate transmitted.

'But it is a little odd, isn't it, for it to have a presence in my mind at all? For example, Derflinger doesn't, and we have to actually talk out loud with him,' I thought back.

'That's true. I'll keep watching and try to find out what the connection is for,' said Agate.

I tried to send magical energy into it, hoping it would somehow give me an idea of how to use it or awaken some of the spirits Derflinger mentioned, but nothing happened. It rejected my energy and stayed stubbornly inert.

"Nothing's happening Derf. How am I supposed to ask spirits in it for help?"

"Dunno. Just will it?"

I did my best to 'will' the damn thing to activate or talk to me, but I couldn't feel anything different. Even if I focused in on its presence in my mind, no response came back.

Infuriatingly, after focusing on the presence for too long, it apparently retreated back into the ring.

"O spirits of water, please lend me your power!" I said.

Then I tried a few different languages and variations but, again, there was nothing.

Finally, I tried the words that Cromwell uttered when he erected the protective ward.

Still nothing.

Agate spoke up then, and phased out of her position in the Armoriont. "When the elves use spirit magic, they have to make some kind of contract with the spirits, right?"

"That sounds about right, yeah," Derflinger responded.

"But you don't know how they do the contract?"

"I probably do, I just can't remember. Haven't been owned by an elf for a few hundred years, I think."

"We have some contract spells of our own. Why don't you try that, Kaleidus? Let's modify a familiar contract spell, using the one you have me with as a base," she said aloud, so Derflinger could hear it.

"That's not a bad idea," I said.

"There's one nice thing about having a stone like this. You can skip the part where you have to summon strong enough spirits to you, because they're already in the stone," said Derflinger.

"Do windstones have spirits too?"

"Technically, yes, but they're too weak and dumb to do spirit magic with. To find any that are good enough, you'd need to go a lot deeper into the windstone deposits. The ones you're carrying definitely don't have any you can use."

Without further ado, we got to work on devising the spell.

It took almost three days of non-stop experimentation, aside from sleep, before we successfully contracted the spirits of the water stone.

When we did, a whole new world of possibilities opened to me.

The ring didn't actually come with any built-in spells, nor could the spirits cast any automatically without my will directing it. But I was already used to trying to invent spells with Agate, and I had some idea of what the ring was capable of.

It would only be a matter of time before I mastered it.

The only drawback was…

These spirits had a will of their own. They weren't exactly intelligent, but they definitely had some kind of _instinct_—one that aggressively urged me to protect the stone, and protested against anything that would exhaust the power of the stone and make it smaller. And because it had a will, if it became angry it would refuse to do anything for me.

It constantly tried to pull me towards large nodes of water elemental energy, such as lakes, where it could slowly—_excruciatingly slowly—_recover its power. So slow that it seemed almost meaningless to make the effort, as neither Agate nor I could not tell the difference in it after hours of waiting, but it did make the spirits happier.

For their help in casting magic, these spirits demanded a price on every use of the water stone. The preferred one was to give them a net gain of water elemental energy, which was not possible for me. According to Derflinger, the elves had a method of artificially creating windstones, so they might know how to do something like that, but he'd never heard of them creating the other types of element stones. He thought it was simply too hard to gather the requisite energy for the other elements.

The alternative price was vital energy and life force, and the drain was proportional to the great power of the stone. That would be scary for anybody else, and I imagined that Cromwell had traded many years of his lifespan to use the ring.

Fortunately, I had plenty of that to spare because of my unique biology and could regenerate it indefinitely. As long as I didn't overtax myself within a short time period, I could recover by consuming enough nutrition with the help of the Bionanite Swarm and Armoriont, and suffer no long-term consequences.

Sadly, vital energy was not the same as water elemental energy, so the water stone would still shrink over time. It was unclear what the spirits needed this vital energy for, but it wasn't unique to these spirits. Derflinger told us that all spirits except artificial ones like him generally accepted vital energy as payment for spirit magic contracts.

So I called it a contract, but it was a rather loose pact rather than a contract with clear terms and conditions. It wasn't as though the spirits could understand legalese, even the magical kind, if I wanted to establish terms. I give them some energy, the spirits would help me if they felt like it, and that was that.

'You should break the ring!' Agate thought to me.

'What? Why?'

'So you can take the water stone out and put it in the Armoriont. The ring itself doesn't do anything. That way it'll be harder to steal.'

After thinking about it for a bit, that made a lot of sense, so I did as Agate suggested.

It was actually quite hard thanks to the amount of Mystery on it, but Derflinger was sufficiently powered up to cut it.

I kept the silver ring band for future use because it had decent Mystery thanks to being pretty ancient.

As for the water stone, I went a step further and implanted it directly into my body instead. My bionanite swarm used the Armoriont to grow a new organ beside my heart to hold and integrate the stone within the circulatory system.

At the end of the day, the Armoriont was also something that could be detached, even if it was more or less a layer of my body now. So putting the stone in my actual inner body was even better.

In fact, there might even be a benefit to integrating it with my body. The water stone was a very powerful natural nexus of water elemental energy. You could say that it "breathed" water elemental energy like humans breathed air.

It was a process that went both ways, absorbing water energy from outside, and releasing it back. And because the human body was made of 70% water, and it was directly connected to my bloodstream, I hoped that by osmosis, I might eventually gain a personal affinity to water, or just gain Mystery quickly as well. The stone was even older than the ring band.

To an extent, windstones did this "breathing" too, but they weren't so much nexuses as mere deposits of mana, the density being too low, and they tended to dissipate in the open air instead of drawing in more energy in a sustainable fashion.

Finally, there was the fact that if there existed a hidden trap, it was more likely to be on the ring than the stone. The ring was after all, artificial, while the stone was a natural thing that also had spirits protecting it. It was also more likely to activate while worn as a ring because that's what you'd expect people to do with rings.

Now that it was implanted, I just had to drink a lot more water and absorb a lot more moisture from the air to compensate for the stone's thirst.

With that done, it was time to consolidate my control over Albion.

O O O

By the time I made contact with General Fairfax again, he had successfully taken control of the main fleet and the majority of Reconquista's forces.

I could tell that he did not like what he had done, and he only stayed 'loyal' to my cause out of fear. Nevertheless, he was a competent military man, and even with Agate I found no evidence of him conspiring against me, so I had nothing to complain about. Perhaps, eventually, I could persuade him that serving me was not such a bad thing.

He moved efficiently to capture Londinium first, which was taken essentially unopposed, bringing the court nobles under control.

A number of nobles elsewhere unsurprisingly refused to submit immediately, so the civil war continued for a few days.

However, resistance was weak and with a few more appearances by Muurleth and judicious use of non-nuclear explosives and chemical weapons, any overt opposition was quickly crushed. In some ways, the resistance worked to my advantage, because crushing these nobles militarily would allow me to force through more reforms to centralize state power, and it would be seen as less tyrannical to do this during a power struggle than to start a fight during peacetime.

However, despite the novelty of ruling a country, I had no real interest in administering it. Prior to finding out that Cromwell could protect himself from spying, my plan was to steal the ring in secret, then use it to control Cromwell, and by extension, the whole of Albion, from the shadows.

This was because the glamour and prestige of ruling meant nothing to somebody like me, who could travel the planes at will. I wasn't going to live out my life here. I was only interested in the material benefits that ruling a kingdom could give me.

The most important benefit was the army of mages under Reconquista's control. There were lots of things which would be more efficiently done through the use of subordinates than for me to deal with in person.

Things like the long-term research of the nobles' magic and spirit magic. Not only could the mages do the research for me, they were also a readily available source of experimental specimens. Of course, I wasn't a comically evil magus, so I wouldn't be using my own subordinates as experimental subjects. Good management rewarded loyal and competent subordinates after all. But the criminals and enemies of the state who rebelled against my rule would have no such protections.

To inspire loyalty, I picked a few of the top mages like General Fairfax and persuaded them to commit to Geas oaths. I found out unfortunately that the stronger the magic they had, the weaker the compulsion of the Geas on them, and Triangle class mages and above could basically completely ignore it. I couldn't even keep them immobilized or force an involuntary action for an instant, unlike with Saito or the people back on Worm. Still, I did it, if only for the psychological effect.

Another important consideration was the wind stone mining operations in Albion. This was a massive source of magical resources that may prove useful to me in other planes. It still had to be confirmed once I plane shifted, but considering that magical energies and magic circuits seemed to work on Worm just fine, I figured that a crystallization of mana would have a good chance of still being useful as well.

While I could extract it myself, it was clearly more efficient to simply take the refined stones from Albion's existing operations whenever I needed more. They even had techniques for extracting, refining, and using it that I wouldn't need to otherwise steal or re-invent.

The same concept applied to recharging Derflinger. With an army at my command, I could simply order a bunch of mages to attack me in a "military readiness exercise" or some such nonsense and quickly charge him up.

Finally, it's never a bad idea to set up more power bases in case anything happened to my other ones, which were all concentrated on Worm at the moment.

It would be even better if eventually, through the Shaitan's Gate connection to Saito's Earth, I could acquire modern tech supplies and magical supplies, with only one plane shift instead of two.

At the site of the battle, nuclear fallout unfortunately contaminated some of the area and caused radiation sickness in the residents of Newcastle. The nobles were mostly fine as the water mages healed the symptoms, but many commoners had already died.

The nuclear missile launched by the AAPV that I pretended was a spell had been manufactured on Worm's Earth M2 base by Offensive Bias in conjunction with Bakuda. Similar to our highly advanced nuclear energy tech, the weaponized version was also quite advanced. Due to the very limited size of the AAPV, it was necessary to maximize energy density and yield to weight ratios on all our weapons, so nuclear was an ideal fit.

The missile we detonated was only about 5 kilotons, weighing in at just 12kg. That was one-third the yield of the first nuclear bomb ever detonated on Earth, but a hundred times smaller, achieving a yield-to-weight ratio near that of the highest ratio ever recorded. If we made a larger bomb, we could actually exceed the previously thought theoretical maximum for thermonuclear devices at 6 megatons per ton, but miniaturization to this level and converting to a missile was a substantially more difficult task, resulting in a worse ratio.

We had made adjustments to minimize nuclear fallout and concentrate direct explosive power, but in the end, eliminating radiation simply wasn't possible without a major technological breakthrough, one which we never achieved.

Nevertheless, I was happy with the result. Some ships and mages had to be sacrificed, but it was worth it to cement my control and reputation.

Aside from control of the military, I devised a new religion centred on Muurleth. In the short-term, there would be great chaos and resistance, but in the long-run, I could not expect to maintain control during long periods of absence off plane without some extraordinary methods. While fear was still fresh and strong, now was the best time to make religious reforms.

Equally important was the fact that by making Muurleth out to be a god instead of a mortal man, it would give a sense of familiarity when I gave a mortal king the divine right to rule. Rather than being a faceless person taking over the kingdom, it would seem as though they had merely changed religions. And if Brimir gave the nobles magic, Muurleth would give them knowledge. Considering that Brimir wasn't around to give any more divine gifts or do much of anything visible for the people, wouldn't many people find the enlightened Muurletheism more appealing?

The only problem was the inevitable conflict with the existing Church. I didn't want the kingdom to get embroiled in any pointless foreign conflicts, especially not when I was away and unable to provide support, so I'd have to find a way to stave off any crusades coming our way.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Agate]**

It was supposed to be my chance to shine but I was totally defeated before I could do anything!

But now the Ring of Andvari has been broken apart! Hahaha, revenge is mine!

Since Kaleidus is busy with politics and other boring stuff, I'm in charge of our magic research.

There's so much to do!

We know the water stone is capable of many incredible things. But Cromwell, a natural water mage, had years to figure them out and Myozunitonirun to help.

We have to start smaller and decide what to focus on. Many of the more complex spells like mind control, anti-scrying, and resurrection that we saw Cromwell using might need to have more basic skills mastered first. For example, the resurrection spell also healed the body, and that kind of healing is already an advanced water magic.

Each time we use the water stone even in training, it will use up the energy inside.

So let's get to work on mental influence and warding!

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**A/N: **The MC POV portion took much longer than I expected, and it is quite important so the reactions will have to wait until next chapter.

The magic training will happen in the background with some progress comments by Agate. This part is actually a quest vote, which you'll have to look up on SV if you want to see, as it's not allowed on FFN (my profile for the link). I'm going to update this chapter once we have the result. It's minor and shouldn't have too much impact on plot though, so you can just wait until Agate reports on it next time.

**SalemTheSpeakerOfTruth**: Ah, you guessed it!

**FerunaLutelou**: Maybe you're right, but it's not quite that simple either. Brimir came to Halk with a whole existing civilization of noble mages, all of whom were very powerful compared to current mages. He isn't necessarily a common ancestor unless his descendants intermixed a lot. Earth has a guaranteed common ancestor sometime in the distant past because you can keep tracing it back to the origin, but Brimir wasn't the origin point. It would be like saying everyone is a descendant of Gilgamesh...it might be possible, but not necessarily. Even for a 5000 year civilization like China I would doubt claims that the Yellow Emperor is actually a common ancestor of all its dynasties, even if they existed.

**Athreya**: He likes it xD. Well, he assumes a new identity whenever he doesn't want his activities to be linked to his other ones. The Kaleidus Axion identity on Halk is supposed to be a hero. Muurleth isn't acting heroic at all.

**Reishin Amara**: MC just has higher priorities atm. We'll see what happens to her a bit later.

**Kalm**: There's a description of some of his facial features in SS 1 when he reveals it to Henrietta. I think there was a description way back in the prequel too. Right now he's almost always armoured, and there's a couple of descriptions for those, one in the early chapters when he was at the Academy and made the golden scale hero armor, and one for the black Muurleth armor. As for his height, it varies, because like with everything else, he's capable of modifying it now. He usually stands around 6'5" with armour and helmet. If I find a good place I'll write about the next time we see him out of armor.

And looks like most people figured out he was just pretending a nuke was his spell. Thanks for the reviews!


	21. SS 1-2 - A New Albion

**SS 1.2 – A New Albion**

The main fleet sailed to Londinium, but there was no great applause or cheer. People stepped out of their homes and watched the skies in trepidation, not knowing what the fleet intended amidst the horrific rumors of a demon in Newcastle and the simultaneous death of the leader of the rebels and the king.

The temporary new flagship Rimmington, a smaller model of the Lexington-class, descended towards the royal palace's private landing area.

As the former royal court until it was moved to Newcastle when Londinium was lost, this large bustling city had been chosen by Reconquista as its own capital and Cromwell's personal fief as well.

The chancellor, steward and numerous other lords quickly came out of the palace and prepared a greeting.

They had heard rumors of both Lord Cromwell and the former king's demise, saw the terrifying visage of the dark power that enshrouded the skies in the distance, and even had runners inform them ahead of time that the Reconquista army had surrendered to the new emperor "Muurleth".

But even so, many found it difficult to believe the fantastical events described by the messengers, and dared not act as if Cromwell was actually dead until confirmed in person by a top leader in Reconquista.

Chief Commander General Fairfax in his iconic plate armor descended from the Rimmington with a grim expression, surrounded by similarly grim looking lieutenants.

He was followed by the newly promoted fleet admiral, which raised many eyebrows at the conspicuous absence of the well known, aggressive and irritable Johnston. After the admiral came a couple of vice-admirals.

It soon became clear that Cromwell would not be arriving.

"General Fairfax, where is the Lord Protector?" The chancellor stepped forward from the crowd of nobles and asked.

Fairfax came to a stop in front of the chancellor. "Chancellor, did you not receive our messengers? The Lord Protector is dead."

A series of gasps arose.

"Ah, we did, but the events they described…"

"Were unbelievable? Unfortunately—I mean miraculously, they are completely true! The great Muurleth, He Who Sees Beyond, has exposed the lies of the former Lord Protector, whose claim to Void was nothing more than trickery, deceit, and heresy! Brimir has abandoned us, for Reconquista have committed sins beyond redemption! But Emperor Muurleth has graced us with his patronage, and offers a new path forward!" General Fairfax declared with a booming voice.

The proclamation was met with looks of stunned disbelief.

"This…this is impossible. This is heresy of the highest order. What madness has taken you, General? Where is Admiral Johnston? Why aren't the rest of you saying anything? Has our army's leadership all fallen to madness?" A noble in fancy robes walked forward with big strides and gestured to the lieutenant generals, admiral and vice admirals behind Fairfax.

"Lord Eastway, Admiral Johnston was aboard the Lexington when His Majesty obliterated it. As for this madness you speak of, please consider your words more carefully. General Fairfax speaks only the truth, and has the full support of the army and fleet," said the new fleet admiral.

"You're gone insane! How could the reports possibly be true? The dead rising? One man defeating an entire army? It must be fabricated! Emperor Muurleth? Ridiculous! You must be attempting a coup!" The noble gestured wildly. "Where is this all-powerful Muurleth then?! Why doesn't he show us his face?"

'_This fool is courting death and he doesn't even know it!_' Fairfax thought with alarm.

"You dare to mock His Majesty Muurleth, the Prince of Duality, Lord of the Infinite! He is ever present, ever watching, and his power beyond your imagination! Stop now with your foolishness before you bring his Curse of Doom upon us!" General Fairfax drew his swordwand and held it threateningly forward.

Other nobles took out their wands and started backing away with frightened faces. They were not weak but the top leaders of the army were all Square and Triangle class mages. There was a reason that they stayed at court and were not officers in the army.

The military leaders similarly took up stances, but instead of backing away, they moved toward Lord Eastway.

"No, you lie! What curse? It's a coup! A coup, or madness! Demon worshippers, the lot of you! Heretics! God will smite you!" The noble yelled at the top of his voice before levitating away quickly.

"Kill him _now_!" Even before Fairfax made the order, his lieutenants had whipped into action.

Wind spells quickly brought Eastway back onto the ground, where his head was cut off cleanly.

A number of other nobles started screaming and running away.

"_Stop_! Do not allow anyone to escape to spread heretical ideas! We must not allow the Curse of Doom to take root in Londinium!" General Fairfax screamed with bloodshot eyes.

'_I'll kill them all myself if I have to!'_

The Curse of Doom is what they had named the terrifying phenomenon in Newcastle where residents suddenly became weak with pain, grew unnatural warts, bled from their nose and eyes, lost hair, suffered diarrhea, and all manner of other problems.

Many had died within hours without the help of healing magic, and even worse, the Curse infected their water mages, as if condemning them for trying to fight the punishment Muurleth had inflicted upon them.

It was worse than any plague in the history of Halkegenia. Their water mages couldn't even identify or cure whatever was wrong with the cursed victims, all they could do was fight the symptoms, which soon came back without continuous healing.

All who fell under the curse were doomed to live in agony if they did not die immediately.

At least the effect seemed to be limited to the area close to where the Muurleth's spell annihilated the Lexington. Unfortunately, they had also discovered that those who carried the curse would keep spreading it regardless of whether they had any symptoms, albeit it weakened every time it spread outside the main area of effect.

As a result, their water mages had to be quarantined as well and the uninfected water mages refused to help the commoners, as well as switching to potions instead of direct healing for nobles. That was an expensive solution but it became at least manageable for nobles.

Even so, the infected nobles could not return to see their family lest they infect their loved ones with the curse. They did not know how long the curse would last, and it could be their entire lives for all they knew. After the long campaigns of the war, it was a devastating realization.

All of Newcastle was practically deserted now as the residents fled, and due to the initial confusion and chaos from the loss of a large part of the fleet leadership, they were unable to keep the residents or deserters from fleeing.

At this point, they could only pray that the effect weakened enough not to bring utter disaster through the whole kingdom.

The fleet was well prepared ahead of the landing for possible combat at the palace however, so the other ships quickly moved down along with the Dragon Knights and other air corps.

It wasn't long before the panicking nobles at court were all rounded up and Fairfax gave them an angry lecture on how close they were to disaster.

The few nobles who continued to openly doubt the veracity of the military's claims were quickly burned at the stake, alongside the body of Lord Eastway, in an attempt to eliminate dangerous ideas that could lead to the Curse spreading, and cleanse their bodies of any Curse that may be already active.

Like this, the army seized control of the capital and much of the remaining forces of the former Reconquista each time they visited the governing lord's castle. A small minority of nobles had heard the news and organized themselves before Fairfax's forces got to them, so the kingdom continued to be in a state of civil war.

O O O

The Pope of Romalia, Vittorio Severare, sat in his private study, reading the latest communications from his agents abroad.

If anybody who did not know him saw him, they would find it difficult to identify him as a Pope. He was young, extraordinarily so, seemingly only in his early twenties. A purple robe decorated with red and gold linings adorned his body, while his room was bare and tidy.

A round mirror sat atop his desk, reflecting his handsome—some would even say beautiful—visage. Another young man stood behind him, looking over his shoulder.

Vittorio's eyes ran through the parchment, eyebrows furrowed in deep contemplation.

"…_it was a sight that beggared description, a light that evoked reverence by its mere appearance. It illuminated the whole country, a searing light whose brightness was almost blinding yet gripped my eyes for I could not look away. It set alight every peak and crevice of the nearby mountain range with such a beauty that no words could do it justice, a sheer radiance that must be seen to imagine. It was a newborn star that outshone—nay, eclipsed the sun, its splendour like the most holiest of sights that one could only imagine in the halls of Valhalla. It was golden, purple, gray, and blue, it was yellow and red and oh so fleeting as it faded away to reveal an enormous ball of fire. It moved almost ponderously, rising up and forming into the shape of a brain. Smoke overtook the fire and it grew ever higher until it towered high into the sky like a tremendous mushroom, which was similar to a painting that I had seen before, of the centurial eruptions at the Fire Dragon Mountains. _

_It was only then that I understood, and later verified after seeking other witnesses, that what I had seen was a simply an explosion of unprecedented scale, a spell so far beyond the Square-class it should have only existed in myth and legend, belonging only to a mighty being like a Great Spirit or a god, and not a mere mortal mage. Yet drunk and fearful soldiers revealed to me that it was indeed the work of a single mage, or perhaps some manner of demon, as none had seen its face but two red lights for eyes behind its demonic helm, and it had wrought not only that terrible spell, but defeated the entire army of Reconquista at Newcastle in mere seconds, and it called itself Muurleth, a most foreign and unpleasant name one could well imagine as that of a demon's…"_

"Ah, if only I could have seen it myself. Could it have been the Founder's Explosion spell?" The young Pope spoke aloud.

He continued to read until he found another intriguing bit.

"…_When I arrived in Gallia, I was shocked to learn that Muurleth's spell had been seen even from so far away, and indeed even from the shores of Germania too, by the words of traveling merchants…"_

"Truly? The distance from Newcastle to the nearest Gallian port city should be almost two hundred and fifty miglio," he said before getting up and opening a map from his shelves. He brought it down to his desk and tapped a line from Newcastle to Gallia.

"Your Holiness, do you think Muurleth is Albion's Void?" The other young man asked as he watched the Pope. He was even younger than the pope, and with similarly striking features, but he wore a white leather coat and a cape instead of priestly robes.

"With Lifthrasir, it would certainly be possible to amplify Explosion to that level. But where did he come from? It is too sudden, too strange. There have been no hints of Albion's Void mage up until now. More importantly, when did he have the chance to learn Void spells? The Wind Ruby and Music Box had been separated for many years, and the rest are all accounted for," said Vittorio, looking at the red Fire Ruby ring on his own finger. "Well, at least it should make Joseph easier to deal with."

"Did you foresee something like this, Your Holiness? Is that why you did not send me?"

For a moment, the Pope did not answer. His expression was unreadable as his eyes found their way to the runes etched onto the other young man's hand.

"No, Julio. In truth, it should have been preferable if Cromwell had succeeded. Even if he was that man's pawn, he did rouse Albion with the promise of retaking the Holy Land," he finally said.

"Then, what shall we do now? Will you agree to the College's suggestion of a punitive crusade against Albion?"

"Why must fellow children of the Founder be so eager to shed each other's blood?" The Pope said with a sigh. "It is not Albion or its innocent people who have sinned against God, but Muurleth who has enslaved them. I will not declare a crusade yet, as it will be necessary to gather support, and to acquire passage through Gallia. In the meantime, without Joseph's support, Muurleth should find it difficult to manage the Albion treasury. Even in Romalia, a rich and wealthy country, there are children that go without bread each day. For Albion that has been racked by civil war for two years, it is quite possible that Muurleth's rule will collapse on its own, in which case there is no need to act. For now, excommunication will suffice, and I also wish to observe what Joseph does next."

Vittorio then stood up and placed a hand on Julio's shoulder. "However, I do have a new mission for you, Julio. If Muurleth is indeed one of the chosen four, then you shall determine whether he can be persuaded to ally with his brothers for the Founder's holy quest. You should have ample time to complete this mission and to investigate the status of Tristain's Void mage as well, before we launch the crusade. In the end, the throne of Albion is only a minor concern. It must not distract us from carrying out the Founder's will."

"Understood."

O O O

_Near the southern shores of Albion…_

An unflagged warship armed with cannons intercepted a merchant ship. It seemed that they were pirates.

The captain of the merchant ship could only stop and surrender, lacking the firepower to fight back.

After boarding, the pirates questioned the captain. They had done this many times with other ships, and had heard the latest news from Albion in this way.

"Boss, there seems to be an order for your return," one of the pirates told their apparent leader, a black haired man with exquisite but dirtied clothing, and a patch over his left eye.

"Oh? An invitation? Or an arrest order?" He asked.

"Neither. Just an order, and a threat. If you don't return, your title will be stripped."

"That makes it sound like I still have a title. What a pointless ruse," he said with a laugh.

"Maybe not. Your sister was legitimized and pronounced a royal princess."

The pirate boss's face turned into a frown. "My half-elf sister…? That one?" He had not even realized he'd had a sister until a few days ago, when news of the duel between King Henry and Cromwell reached his ears.

"It seems that she was assigned the former royal guard too. She is currently at Londinium Palace. Maybe we could use the secret passage and send an agent to meet her, find out what's going on."

"Wait a minute. How did this ship's passengers know about this? Are they not commoners?"

"There's a noblewoman from Gallia. She says she is returning in secret to report to the Gallian royal family. She also seems to be under the impression that we're Reconquista loyalists that are hiding from Muurleth and I played along with it. She demanded that we bring her to Gallia. It sounds like our suspicions were right. The Gallian royal family was behind everything. But Muurleth spoiled their plans at the last minute."

"Take me to see her first," the pirate boss said.

They went to a spacious cabin where a beautiful woman sat haughtily with a small smirk, apparently uncaring of the numerous other pirates in the room with her. Her features were exotic with olive colored skin, her dark eyes were sharp and dangerous, accentuated by the dark purple dress she wore. She did not seem quite like a Gallian to the pirate boss, but he supposed that she could just be a mixed blood. Probably had Rub 'al Khali ancestry, as Gallia did stretch east a very long way.

"Hello Miss. Might I have your name?" He asked standing in front of her.

A malevolent chuckle was the response, giving him an uneasy vibe. He stepped back involuntarily, but before he could think more on the matter, a sharp pain burst from his chest.

He looked down in shock to see a sword sticking out before it was ripped out. Outraged yells from his men were drowned out by screams of pain.

All around him, several of what he thought were his own men had morphed into monstrous grey golems with glowing red magic circles on their chests that attacked the men who didn't morph. They were incredibly strong and spells hit them to seemingly no effect, resulting in a one-sided massacre.

The woman stood up and walked closer to him even as he dropped to his knees.

"My dear Prince Wales, I'm afraid your time has come to an end," she said in a silky voice.

He clutched his swordwand and pointed it at her shakily.

"W-who are y-you?"

"Who am I? Why, I am the holy familiar of Void, the Mind of God. And God has decreed that you shall give up your life for the good of all," she said.

With a quickly muttered incantation, he unleashed the strongest spell he could. A shearing drill of wind blasted forth.

But the woman disappeared and the spell merely destroyed the cabin wall behind it. A cold hand caressed his face from behind, which sent an icy chill throughout his body.

His hand dropped his wand involuntarily.

He was pulled back and the woman held him close like in a lovers' embrace. Her other hand went down and found his own left hand, then pried a ring off his finger. The white crystal glinted in the light.

"I'll be taking this, my prince. You won't need it anymore."

The last of his strength gone with that spell, he was unable to do anything but watch.

The woman then stood up again and held the white crystal ring in her right hand, walking out to the open air. Raising it to the sun, she smiled.

"The Wind Ruby…I wonder what secrets of Void you shall reveal…" She murmured softly.

O O O

In the deep night, a tall solitary figure stood on the balcony of a huge palace.

A middle aged man, blue haired with a strong frame and handsome features, he watched the stars while drinking a glass of wine, wearing a blue and white set of sleepwear.

The smell of incense was in the air, and a yellow ruby ring was on his middle finger. It shone with an unnatural glow in the starlight.

He breathed in the refreshing night air and the burning incense.

"A god, is he? With only so much power…how quaint," he spoke as if to nobody, a light smile on his lips.

Yet, he apparently heard a response, because he held a conversation by himself.

"The loss of the Music Box is unfortunate, but you have done well."

"It matters not. Let him rule over the pitiful remains of that country for a little while. I shall even give him a toast if he can cling on to the throne without Gallian assistance."

"Is that so? Interesting."

"No, return first, so that I can use that second key. Then I will decide."

Had his servants heard him, they would assume he was again in a bout of lunacy or play-acting. It was after all nothing new for the incompetent, lazy, and mad king Joseph of Gallia.

* * *

**A/N: **And there's the reaction chapter. The Curse of Doom is radiation poisoning. Actually, radiation poisoning isn't biologically contagious like viruses. But these people don't know what's causing it, and don't realize that materials such as clothing and other objects can be irradiated, thereby spreading the "infection", even if they practice reasonable hygiene, for their level of technology.

The golems Myoz used this time are not the same as the dolls from before. These are the smaller versions of the Jormungandr that were used to devastating effect in canon.

Why was Joseph unimpressed by the power of MC's nuke? It's because, unlike the religious Papal agent who carefully described the _intensity_ of the blast with romantic language and not just the size of it, Joseph didn't pay close enough attention to that. The Fire Jewels in canon are supposed to create much larger fireballs-nukes actually have fairly small fireballs as much of the energy is released as light and pressure waves.

There will be a few more side-stories to explore some other things going on that the MC is doing during this period of time from other POVs.


	22. SS 1-3 Crown Restoration

**SS 1.3 – Crown Restoration**

The captain of the late King Henry of Albion's royal guard was doing push ups in his dark cell when he heard the sound of footsteps coming his way.

He settled down into a sitting position, breathing lightly as several figures came into view on the other side of the prison bars.

The imposing armored form of General Fairfax came to a stop, turning to face him, flanked by two officers and two prison guards.

"Open the cell," he ordered.

As the guards moved to unlock the prison, the captain stood up. "What's going on?"

"You have a new assignment, Captain Coventry," said General Fairfax.

"Is this a joke? You think we would serve in your army?"

The door to the prison was opened, but the captain did not move from his spot.

"Captain Coventry, with whom does your loyalty lie? Do the oaths you swore when you became the captain of the royal guard still hold true?" Fairfax asked slowly.

"Of course! My loyalty is to King Henry and the house of Tudor! I will never serve traitors such as the likes of you!" Coventry snarled back.

"Then prove it. You are being called to duty again, to serve the royal blood once more. Or are your words just empty bluster?"

At those words, confusion was etched onto Coventry's face. "The royal blood?"

Fairfax gestured and one of the officers stepped into the cell.

He was carrying a small wooden box, which he placed onto the table inside the cell. With a quick movement, he opened the box, then removed a neatly folded uniform and a swordwand, before returning back outside the cell.

Coventry stared at his uniform and swordwand. "This is a trick, isn't it? Are you trying to tell me you're secretly loyal to the Crown? Or have you defected _again_?! I don't believe it. No, I refuse to believe something so ridiculous!"

"Believe whatever you like. If you do not want to return to duty, you do not have to. My orders were only to release you and offer you the opportunity," said Fairfax. "Guards, lead him out once he is ready to go. We're done here."

Then he turned and walked away, the two officers following.

Coventry watched this with his mouth agape. His hand moved to his swordwand, and the guards did not seem to react, simply standing there with the prison door wide open.

He ran out the door with swordwand in hand, and looked down the corridor to see that Fairfax was really leaving.

It wasn't long before he shouted after them.

O O O

Back in his uniform, Captain Coventry followed Fairfax out of the dungeons and was led around the castle until they reached a particular room which was protected by two guards.

A female servant greeted them at the door before going back inside. After a while, she came back.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal will see you now."

Confusion was etched onto the face of the captain as he followed Fairfax into the room. He knew based on familiarity that he had been imprisoned in the palace at Londinium, and they were still there. So how could there be a princess, let alone Princess Royal, a rank which the king had never awarded? The only Albion royal still alive should have been Prince Wales.

When he saw the figure waiting inside beside a tea table, confusion turned to shock.

There, sitting demurely in a decorated white and gold gown was the bastard half-elf daughter of King Henry, Tiffania, the very same one who suddenly appeared before the King's duel with Cromwell.

She gave him an inquisitive glance, then turned to greet Fairfax.

"General Fairfax, what I can help you with?" She asked.

"Your royal highness, His Divine Greatness feels that you need a proper guard to ensure your safety. This man is the former Captain of your father's Royal Guard and therefore possesses the necessary qualifications to lead your own guard," said Fairfax.

"Oh um…it's a pleasure to meet you, ah…um your name is?" The half-elf spoke with none of the refined manner that one would expect from a princess. But Coventry knew she had never been trained in the royal etiquette.

"Lambert Coventry, your royal highness. It is my honor to meet you. Although in truth, we have met before while I was in the service of His Majesty King Henry. I believe you were only three years old then."

In fact, he had met her more than once. The King had secretly visited her several times after sending her away. Coventry had been there to see her happily taking care of orphans, living alone in a forest but for the occasional visits from her caretaker in the Saxe-Gotha family. It was painful to remember.

It was all the more painful to remember that somehow Cromwell had gotten to her and convinced her that he was fighting a just cause. Had the king been heartbroken to see her appear with the enemy, or happy to know that she was at least safe and alive?

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Please do not apologize, your royal highness. It is only natural that you cannot remember something from that age," said Coventry.

"I have other business to attend to, your royal highness, so I shall take my leave. Please send a messenger to inform me if you find this man suitable," Fairfax said with a slight bow.

"Of course, thank you general," said Tiffania.

Soon it was just Coventry and the new princess left.

An awkward silence followed while Tiffania fidgeted with her fingers.

"If I may, your royal highness?" Coventry asked eventually, burning questions on his mind.

"Huh? If you may what?" The confused Tiffania asked back.

The former captain silently berated himself for following an etiquette the princess did not understand.

"My apologies, I mean that I have questions."

"Oh, please go ahead."

"What happened after Newcastle? Is the civil war over? Who is in charge of Albion right now? I'm afraid I've been in the dungeons ever since I was captured, and have been unaware of recent events."

"Um…General Fairfax has taken charge of most things, I think, but he follows Lord Muurleth's orders."

'_Muurleth! That lying, opportunistic, self-serving bastard! Instead of helping us, he waited until the King was dead then took the throne for himself. And he's even calling himself Divine Greatness now? As if he's a god!_' Anger rose up as soon as Coventry heard the name. _'So he is the one who granted the princess her title. But what is his purpose?'_

Unaware of Coventry's inner turmoil, Tiffania continued. "After he brought me to Londinium I've stayed in the palace ever since, so I'm not sure what happened elsewhere. I wish I knew but I don't know who to ask…"

'_Nobody is supporting her. A princess in name only. She has no allies or power,'_ Coventry realized. '_But that's even stranger. There would be no political benefit to giving her the title. On the contrary, it would make Muurleth many enemies to favor a half-elf. Yet, he not only assigned her a noble rank, but gave her the title of Princess Royal, a title that should only be conferred on the ruling king's eldest daughter, and only at the king's discretion to indicate the highest rank among all princesses. What could he possibly want to achieve?'_

"Will they not let you out of the palace?"

"Ah no, I can go outside if I want to…"

'_Not a prisoner in a gilded cage either. The title is meant to be taken seriously?'_

"But everyone is afraid of me…I don't want to cause trouble."

Tiffania's eyes involuntarily darted to the handmaiden who stood to the side, head firmly facing down. Tiffania's own face then turned downcast as if saddened.

Coventry saw the action and understood what it meant. '_Even her own servants! Nothing has changed, after all, my liege._'

"I see," he said, while gripping his hands into fists.

"So um…you are really willing to be my guard? You aren't being forced, are you? Even though…" she trailed off, but Coventry knew the words that went unsaid.

At the princess's reminder, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. He, the former royal guard captain, was being assigned to her, the daughter of the king, who had been vested with all the authority of a real princess but did not know how to make use of it.

He even had a choice whether to accept, as if testing his loyalty. And he realized that he truly did have a choice in that moment.

It wasn't just the choice to walk away free.

Right now, here in this room, it appeared that the princess was left alone with a mere commoner servant to stand between her and a Square class mage, a former prisoner at that.

If he bore any ill will towards her, now was a perfect time to strike. He'd even been given back his swordwand to do it.

But why did Muurleth set up this scenario? If he wanted the princess dead, he could have gotten rid of her at any time, and nobody would have batted an eye.

Which meant that it was the opposite.

Muurleth wanted a genuinely loyal man, not somebody who would serve just because he commanded it, but somebody who _willingly chose_ to be the princess's guard captain.

Somebody who would protect her without hesitation and could advise her with his experience having served the previous king, helping her step into the role of a true princess with her own faction of supporters.

Both the symbolism of all this, and the practical side of it, led towards the same conclusion.

Muurleth had awarded her the title of the Princess Royal.

A title exclusively eligible to the eldest daughter of the monarch who bestowed the title.

And in the case of there being no male heir senior to her, the eldest daughter was heir presumptive.

In other words…

'_Muurleth intends to raise her to the throne?! And not as a mere puppet either, if I'm being allowed to advise her!'_

The thought brought a joy and excitement he hadn't felt for months. Then doubts quickly put a damper on it.

'_But to put a half-elf on the throne is no small task…and…what of Prince Wales?_'

Interpreting his long silence the wrong way, Tiffania spoke up again with a sad expression. "You don't have to if you don't want to. If you're being forced to do this, I will help you escape later."

Coventry was suddenly moved by the sheer kindness of the princess. Not only did she not despise those who were prejudiced against her, she would even help them without regard for her own safety.

It was enough to make his decision.

'_There is no doubt that she would be a most wondrous Queen, and a princess with Muurleth's favor has better chances than a prince still in exile. If the Tudor line is to return to the throne, then I must do everything in my power to assist her!'_

He held one fist to his chest then kneeled as if making a solemn pledge.

"Your royal highness, if you will accept me, then I will protect you with my life. I would be proud to be able to continue serving the Tudor line," he said resolutely, eyes staring straight into her own surprised ones.

O O O

**A/N: **For those wondering what happened to Tiffa, now you know. She's alive and well.

The point of these side stories is to show MC's actions in a different way. I know some of you would prefer reading what the MC's up to directly, but it's boring to just summarize via narration sometimes. MC is doing things via subordinates and making changes to Albion in a big way, whereas his own personal interest is in magic. I don't want to have several chapters of info-dump like narration, so these side stories are the alternative.


	23. 20 - Seize Church Property

**20 – Seize Church Property**

When I returned to Fairfax, I inspected the half-elf daughter of the king, also known as Tiffania, Matilda's friend. It appeared that she was actually still alive.

As Fairfax was a close confidante of Cromwell, I questioned him extensively regarding Tiffania. Although he did not know much about it, as it was a very secret operation, he did reveal a few important facts.

First was that there had indeed been a female secretary with exotic facial features that helped Cromwell, but nobody knew her whereabouts. They'd assumed that she died on board the Lexington, though I didn't buy that for a second.

Second, Fairfax was aware of the gargoyles that could pretend to be other people. But he also revealed that there were a number of Halkegenian spells that could accomplish much the same thing. A high level wind and water spell using blood could create an imposter as well, though it was less sturdy than the gargoyles. An advanced wind spell called "Split" could also create wind clones of mages that could even cast magic.

At the same time, there were counter spells which could check the identity of suspected frauds. These were commonly known. People just weren't in the habit of checking for imposters except when "lost" pretenders to the throne or a noble title suddenly appeared and their legitimacy had to be verified.

That was probably why the real Tiffania had been kept alive. The nobles could actually verify her identity pretty easily.

Then I interrogated Tiffania, and eventually discovered she was actually a Void mage capable of casting a memory erasure spell, but incapable of any elven spirit magics, except for the one that used her mother's ring to heal.

She had learned the memory erasure spell as a young child playing with the Founder's Music Box.

I didn't remember much of anything about her from the story except that she saved Saito after he stalled the huge army, and was an exceptionally naïve and kind person.

Nevertheless, I gave her the Music Box to try out. She couldn't get it to work though. That was when she mentioned that the first time it worked, she had also been wearing the Wind Ruby, which glowed when the Music Box started playing music.

Based on this, it seemed that the Founder's Rings were also required, possibly even a specific one for each treasure. I had then quickly sent out orders to find the Prince Wales, but he hadn't turned up yet.

As for the elvish healing ring, that turned out to be a gem enchanted with the "power of water".

That ring had a built-in spell to be activated, so Tiffania didn't know any real spirit magic. I ultimately let her keep it because I had no urgent need of the healing spell, and I would eventually have a better solution in the water stone once I mastered it.

But even if I did have need of it, I wouldn't have been able to use it anyway. Tiffania told me that the enchantment which allowed her to activate the spell was set up to only work for her.

That led me to the realization that perhaps there had actually been some built-in spells on the Ring of Andvari before I broke it. It was just that Myozunitonirun had locked them to Cromwell.

Because of her Void power and elven heritage, I decided to keep her around and assist her in learning Void spells if the opportunity arose.

But unlike with Louise, Tiffania could also serve as my political pawn.

I'd looked for candidates to appoint as the ruler, but no other person stood out to me. I could crown Fairfax, but I felt the man was more useful as a counterweight to whomever sat on the throne, being in control of the military.

Tiffania, despite the backlash she'd face for being a half-elf, was someone I could easily manipulate. Her personality was too kind, and she lacked any political power of her own, or even experience in court.

With her as a figurehead ruler, the country's administrative policies would still largely be in the hands of the executive council positions, which I intended to re-organize anyways.

In this way, I could get competent people to fill all the necessary roles, and leave Tiffania to work on charitable causes.

But rather than enthroning her immediately, I left the throne nominally vacant. An interregnum.

I didn't want a Regent to have too much influence over her while I was away, nor did I want to rock the boat too much by having a half-elf head of state before people got used to the idea of having a half-elf princess.

With an interregnum, the matter of succession remained theoretically open.

Later on, I would make an official announcement that I intended to appoint a worthy ruler after demonstrating their competency, faith, loyalty, and benevolence, and the same criteria would be applied to most government positions, while new assemblies, councils, and committees would be created.

These opportunities wouldn't just be limited to nobles either. Many meritocratic reforms would soon follow, allowing wealthy, educated commoners to participate in government and contribute to the treasury.

Many ambitious nobles and even commoners would then be distracted, competing to perform good deeds and seek my favor, instead of plotting to overthrow the new order.

Unfortunately, these remained only far off plans.

In the short-term there were far too many other problems to deal with.

Before the state could centralize and firmly come under my control through a new bureaucracy, the civil war needed to end.

While there were no more openly rebellious factions, this did not mean that there was no unrest, or that I had full control over the kingdom. The vast majority of the kingdom outside of the immediate area surrounding Londinium was liable to devolve back into rebellion at any time.

The fact of the matter was that the strength of arms from my explosives only achieved a temporary state of suppression, which would quickly evaporate if the men were not paid and fed properly.

A serious problem was the composition of the Reconquista army itself.

Firstly, it included the presence of demihuman troops, who began to desert en masse and even attack the other troops without whatever methods Cromwell had to keep them obedient.

Fairfax was forced to get rid of them before they seriously damaged the human forces.

Secondly, it was not a single organization, but consisted of numerous auxiliary armies contributed from various nobles and mercenary groups.

Of the remaining non-demihuman troops, only 30% were under Fairfax's direct command which Cromwell had paid and organized, but some 40% of the army consisted of noble levies, while the last 30% were mercenaries.

Because of Fairfax's quick maneuver to capture the court at the capital, we had effectively held a number of allied nobles hostage and maintained control of their levies.

But soon there wouldn't be any money left to pay the army, and many nobles faced funding shortages to maintain their levies too.

The royal treasury had already been seized and funds exhausted when Londinium was first conquered by Reconquista.

Already, the mercenaries had been disbanded as they were the largest expense, and we were still facing a financial crisis.

While Cromwell was in control, Reconquista had continuously received funds from various donors, including a large portion from Gallia.

These funds dried up once Cromwell was dead, and we were on the verge of bankruptcy.

The food shortage was no less a concern either because Albion had been in civil war for too long, so agricultural productivity had dropped to an all-time low. Imports from abroad had filled the gap, but Gallia shipping volume had suddenly dropped as well, creating another impending disaster.

We had perhaps one week of food left before facing the possibility of famine. The only reason this wasn't a bigger problem than our finances was because Germania had plenty of food to spare and was very willing to trade it if only we had money.

With modern economics, finance expertise, and access to many valuable inventions, I had many ways to strengthen the treasury, but it would take months at the least to institute the required reforms or develop the necessary businesses.

If I were able to freely travel between planes with no restrictions, then I could just ship over gold and other materials from the uninhabited worlds I controlled on Worm, especially the Earth M2 base where Offensive Bias produced the AAPV and all the equipment in it.

However, there was a price to shift planes.

Forming the tunnel through Kaleidoscape required a special form of energy that Agate passively collected from a plane's Creation Mystery using her path to the Root. We called this energy Primordial Grain—so named because it countered the Primordial Chaos, and Zelretch theorized that it was a higher order analog of the Grain that celestial bodies were composed of.

It took about a week to collect enough for one trip. There was no known way of speeding this up, or substituting it, so even though it wasn't difficult to acquire, it was an exceedingly limited resource. If one trip for one soul was approximately equal to one unit, then I had five units worth when I arrived in this world. This was a minimal level I kept in reserve to ensure I had enough to move several times in quick succession in case the need arose.

After a week and a half of being on this world, I now had six trip's worth, but even so, why waste any if I might have an actually pressing need to use them in the future? If I came across a situation that was actually time sensitive and required multiple trips to handle, or if I got chased across planes by something capable of following me, then I'd regret wasting them.

So I did not want to make a round trip to Worm and back just to get a small vehicle's worth of supplies, if there were other alternatives. For the same reason, I wouldn't go back and forth between planes to uplift one by bringing in a large amount of tech infrastructure without a very good reason.

In the end, I resorted to the sad medieval practice of nationalizing Church properties and seizing wealth from heretics to stay solvent. Fortunately, with my new religion, almost everyone had turned into a heretic so there was plenty of wealth to be confiscated, with an appropriate share redistributed to the new faithful.

Faith without a visible divine presence tended to follow material benefits, and with the identification of heretics becoming a lucrative business, there were many that became fervent 'believers' of the new religion.

Albion had only a single archbishopric based just east of Londinium at Canterbury, which was the first to be taken over, and it was necessary to make a public spectacle of it.

The archbishopric was subordinate to the Papacy in Romalia, even chosen by the Romalian Pope, and this was obviously not acceptable. It collected taxes on the surrounding lands and had its own levies, but paid more money to Romalia instead of the Crown.

Functionally, bishoprics and archbishoprics had rights similar to counts and dukes in terms of taxation, and because there was no inheritance system that split the wealth among many heirs, they tended to be rather wealthy, especially with the additional income from donations.

The archbishop of Canterbury predictably refused to acknowledge the new religion, but he was only a Triangle mage and easily defeated.

He was brought to Londinium in chains and a public trial was organized in front of the Londinium Cathedral, which was similarly taken over as was the bishopric of Londonium.

The bishop of London was intelligent enough to surrender, convert, and contribute funds to the new Church of Muurleth, having been a man that Cromwell had installed previously.

He therefore had the great honor of presiding over the trial of the heretical archbishop.

A great crowd of commoners had gathered to watch, and the court nobles were also in attendance, as were the top military leaders.

The former archbishop was tied up to a high stake on a platform and his mouth was gagged. Stripped of his clothes, only allowed to wear rags, and having been tortured repeatedly, he looked nothing like a priest anymore.

Several other priests were similarly tied up next to him.

"Former Archbishop Carlisle of Canterbury, you are accused of heresy, high treason, idolatry, devil worship, abuse of authority, embezzlement of church funds, forcing and coercing carnal relations on church attendants, including children, and fraudulently offering absolution in exchange for carnal favours!" The bishop Wellesley of Londonium read loudly from an official looking parchment, standing next to Carlisle.

"Let the witnesses come forth!" He shouted and gestured.

A procession of various witnesses came forth, including nobles and commoners and other lower ranking priests.

Each one had been paid for their courage in speaking out, and promised reparations for the archbishop's crimes if the trial was successful.

As they described in detail the evidence against the archbishop, the crowd gasped and looked revolted.

Carlisle moaned and grunted, trying to speak, but was unable to with the rag in his mouth.

"As you have heard, this man is a Papist dog, a traitor to Albion, and a corrupt devil worshipper! He has stolen a hundred thousand écus to give to his masters in Romalia, and damned the souls of hundreds of unknowing innocents who were deceived into worshipping fake idols and paying for absolution with carnal acts! He has corrupted and traumatized children and led a cult of evil by abusing his authority as the Archbishop!"

Planted people within the crowd started to shout angry curses at the archbishop, which led to the rest of the crown quickly following suit.

Wellesley pulled the rag off Carlisle's mouth. "What have you to say for yourself? Will you not recant and repent even with the clear evidence?!"

"N-no! These are fabrications, lies!" Carlisle shouted. "These witnesses are fake!"

Wellesley pulled out several documents and shoved them in front of Carlisle's face. "You still deny it? We have documents here clearly showing the monies you paid to the Papacy, which you stole from the Albion people!"

"Those were rightfully paid taxes, not stolen!"

Wellesley smacked Carlisle as if in rage. Then he stuffed the gag back on.

He turned and walked around, holding up the documents in the air. "Did you hear that, good people of Albion?! This man dares to steal from Albion and claims it to be rightful! He has betrayed his kingdom and sold out to a foreign power, while you have suffered without bread, toiling away under the sun for a measly few coins each day! While you were starving, the money that should have been yours was used to let him live in a sinful life of debauchery and pampering his foreign masters! It is people like this who have made Albion weak and caused hardship for all of you!"

The crowd was visibly angered now and many looked like they wanted to execute the archbishop with their own hands.

But Wellesley raised his hands and asked for calm. After a few moments, the angry cries died down.

"But let it be known that the Church of Muurleth is fair and just, we shall now hear from the archbishop's own subordinates!" He then ungagged one of the other tied up priests. "Tell us of the crimes that the archbishop is accused of! What he bid you do, and the sins you have committed!"

The severely tortured priest was quick to confess and sob as he admitted to everything and then some, begging for a quick death.

The crowd was again enraged, and they started throwing things at the evil men in front of them.

"Look, archbishop Carlisle, even your own subordinates have confessed their sins! It is too late for you sinners to escape punishment in this life, but you shall have one last chance to save your soul! I, Bishop Wellesley of Londinium, by the authority vested in me as Inquisitor of the Church, hereby declare that your punishment shall be burning at the stake! You will experience a taste of what awaits you in hell, and I implore you to repent to save your soul before you leave your mortal coil!"

He ripped off the gags on all of the accused heretics. Carlisle protested and cursed him, but was ignored.

An executioner casted a fire spell and began burning all of the accused.

The screams and wails of those being burned were drowned out by the crowd's cheers.

Wellesley looked pleased and took the opportunity to direct the crowd's cheers.

"Praise His Divine Greatness, Muurleth, God of Albion, He Who Sees Beyond, for exposing this evil and rescuing the kingdom from these traitors and devil worshippers! All hail God Muurleth!"

"All hail God Muurleth!" They shouted exuberantly.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

**[Agate]**

Agate reporting in!

I tried to create a simple mental compulsion spell, but it was a complete failure! Even flies refused to go away!

Then I tried warding, starting with the most basic of the basic, just something like a Bounded Field that gave us an alarm. I successfully made the water spirits in the stone warn us when humidity is low!

In other words, aren't they just complaining that there's not enough water nearby?

Argh! This is too hard. Maybe we'd have better luck starting with something more obviously water related. It seems that mental influence and warding are more advanced conceptual uses of the water element, or maybe something to do with the spirits themselves. But it's only been a few days, I shouldn't expect too much anyways.

Should I keep trying, or work on something else? Kaleidus is almost done with managing the kingdom, so we'll both be able to work on this soon. Two minds are better than one, as they say, so maybe we'll get better results.

* * *

**A/N: **For the time being, there's going to be an Agate training segment every time we're in MC POV, there's a reasonable expectation that there is time to actually experiment (a few days), and if Agate is not away from the MC. If there isn't a few days between chapters, it will just progress according to the previous vote. The progress will also change significantly according to some catalysts in the story itself, and longer periods of experimentation.

Also, the MC has finally learned why Myoz was unconcerned about losing the ring. Objects enchanted with spirit magic or otherwise hosting spirits can choose who they will work for to a degree.

Again, just a reminder that votes happen on the Sufficient Velocity thread.

**Discord: **Got ideas for the story? Just want to chat? Come join us on Discord here: ZyxZPRm


End file.
